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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Lion King (2019) in Movies
Jul 24, 2019 (Updated Dec 15, 2019)
An amazing looking film that unfortunately lacks soul.
I, like many people, consider The Lion King to be one of finest Disney animations of all time. For me, it ranks alongside Mulan as a favourite, and I immediately fell in love with the characters when it was released in 1994. (I was 5 at the time!)
All these years later, and it still stands as a bonafide classic.
And here we are now, in 2019, and this adaption of The Lion King is the latest in an ever growing line of Disney animations to get the realistic remake treatment.
It aims straight for the nostalgic jugular (and is painfully see through), even if the CGI is pretty damn impressive.
However, impressive CGI means nothing if everything surrounding is empty. It's quite simply missing the heart and soul of the original animation.
In a similar fashion to the recent Jungle Book remake, it's no easy task to convey emotion on these characters when they are photo realistic animals, and the film really suffers as a result.
I feel like that casting was a big contributor as well. A lot of the voice cast are quite simply doing voice over work, and it's painfully obvious is some scenes that the actors were not next to each other whilst performing. The dialogue flows unnaturally on several occasions.
The songs are...ok I guess. Again, they lack a lot of of the heart that made them so enjoyable the first time around.
In particular, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is just awful, listening to Beyonce try to out-Beyonce herself, warbling and riffing unessecarily on a pretty straightforward ballad.
Her involvement had me eye rolling actually. As soon as Hakuna Matata is over and Simba is older, it sort of turned into the Beyonce show - I have absolutely nothing against her, I just thought her involvement with The Lion King was a bit overdone and on the nose.
I'm not sure what I really expected but I feel suitably silly for thinking that this was going to be anything more than a blatant cash grab.
The Lion King offers up nothing new, and the argument of "it's bringing the story to a whole new generation" is rendered mute by just watching the easily accessible and miles better original.
All these years later, and it still stands as a bonafide classic.
And here we are now, in 2019, and this adaption of The Lion King is the latest in an ever growing line of Disney animations to get the realistic remake treatment.
It aims straight for the nostalgic jugular (and is painfully see through), even if the CGI is pretty damn impressive.
However, impressive CGI means nothing if everything surrounding is empty. It's quite simply missing the heart and soul of the original animation.
In a similar fashion to the recent Jungle Book remake, it's no easy task to convey emotion on these characters when they are photo realistic animals, and the film really suffers as a result.
I feel like that casting was a big contributor as well. A lot of the voice cast are quite simply doing voice over work, and it's painfully obvious is some scenes that the actors were not next to each other whilst performing. The dialogue flows unnaturally on several occasions.
The songs are...ok I guess. Again, they lack a lot of of the heart that made them so enjoyable the first time around.
In particular, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is just awful, listening to Beyonce try to out-Beyonce herself, warbling and riffing unessecarily on a pretty straightforward ballad.
Her involvement had me eye rolling actually. As soon as Hakuna Matata is over and Simba is older, it sort of turned into the Beyonce show - I have absolutely nothing against her, I just thought her involvement with The Lion King was a bit overdone and on the nose.
I'm not sure what I really expected but I feel suitably silly for thinking that this was going to be anything more than a blatant cash grab.
The Lion King offers up nothing new, and the argument of "it's bringing the story to a whole new generation" is rendered mute by just watching the easily accessible and miles better original.
Standalone Photovoltaic (PV) Systems for Disaster Relief and Remote Areas
Book
Standalone Photovoltaic (PV) Systems for Disaster Relief and Remote Areas explores the increased...
Background Eraser - Remove Background & Superimpose, Overlay Photos
Photo & Video and Productivity
App
Remove and erase photo background using this app. Just touch and drag your finger on the photo to...
Photo Eraser for iPhone - Remove Unwanted Objects from Pictures and Images
Photo & Video and Entertainment
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On Sale. Original $ 4.99. Photo Eraser magically remove unwanted objects from photos for iPhone and...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Queen Kong (1976) in Movies
Feb 8, 2019
Low-budget cash-in spoof of de Laurentiis's King Kong remake; there's a lot of uneven comedy and some dreadful monster suits, so you can see why Dino felt impinged upon. Tough female film-maker (Lenska) despairs of finding a man with the guts to star in her new movie; she kidnaps petty thief Ray Fay (Asquith) and takes him off to a remote African country with a large gorilla population (only one gorilla, but it is very large). You can probably guess the rest.
You turn up to a film like Queen Kong with subterraneanly low expectations, but there are actually some not-bad jokes here, along with other bits which are so weird they are actually entertaining (title song includes the lyric 'When I'm feeling kinda spunky I want to do it with my funky monkey', which I didn't anticipate). There's also a rather peculiar feminist subtext and it's not entirely clear whether the movie is taking the mick out of Woman's Lib or if it's sincerely intended. A definite oddity; the production is primitive, but it has just enough ideas to be interesting.
You turn up to a film like Queen Kong with subterraneanly low expectations, but there are actually some not-bad jokes here, along with other bits which are so weird they are actually entertaining (title song includes the lyric 'When I'm feeling kinda spunky I want to do it with my funky monkey', which I didn't anticipate). There's also a rather peculiar feminist subtext and it's not entirely clear whether the movie is taking the mick out of Woman's Lib or if it's sincerely intended. A definite oddity; the production is primitive, but it has just enough ideas to be interesting.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Magnificent Seven (2016) in Movies
Jun 26, 2020
The Deadly Seven
The Magnificent Seven- i haven't seen both Seven Samurai and the 1960 verison. I would like to see the 1960 verison cause it has Steve McQueen and Charlies Bronson in it. Its good to see a good western movie these days, cause we either dont see them to often or their not good. So to see a remake of The Magnificent Seven in 2016 was both a surpise and good. With a great cast, Antonie Fuqua directing, good action and Denzel Riding a horse. It was a good movie.
The plot: Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.
Good action, good cast, horses and more, The Magnificent Seven lives up to both Seven Samurai and the 1960 verison.
The plot: Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.
Good action, good cast, horses and more, The Magnificent Seven lives up to both Seven Samurai and the 1960 verison.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Evil Dead (2013) in Movies
Jun 26, 2022 (Updated Jun 26, 2022)
The Evil Dead trilogy is beloved by many a horror fan the world over, and rightly so. I wouldn't envy the person who was made responsible for continuing the franchise after Sam Raimi, but Fede Alverez does an admirable job in giving us a film that has its own identity, but still retains the fingerprints of what came before. The first 30 minutes or so are a little cookie-cutter 2010s horror, with plenty of characters that are unlikable, flashes of weirdness here and there, and some questionable dialogue. When everything kicks off though, holy shit, it kicks off. There is no holding back when it comes to the gore and the last 45 minutes move at a break neck pace. It climaxes in a finale that is truly something to behold, sirens blaring, blood raining from the sky, all executed in a hellish fashion. The production values are top notch as well, which ties everything together nicely.
Overall, Evil Dead is a horrifically entertaining remake that goes in its own direction and doesn't give a fuck, and ultimately ensures that there isn't a weak entry in the whole series, something that not many horror franchises can boast.
Overall, Evil Dead is a horrifically entertaining remake that goes in its own direction and doesn't give a fuck, and ultimately ensures that there isn't a weak entry in the whole series, something that not many horror franchises can boast.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
What Noise Does A Chainsaw Make?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre- a classic horror film. Directed by a horror icon and legend- Tobe Hopper.
The Plot- When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate; although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.
Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally.
It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books and video games.
I highly reccordmend this movie.
The Plot- When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate; although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.
Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally.
It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books and video games.
I highly reccordmend this movie.
iFighter 2: The Pacific 1942 by EpicForce
Games and Entertainment
App
iFighter2 brings you back to the Pacific War in World War II to challenge the Empire of Japan with...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Jan 8, 2018
Porgs not as annoying as expected (1 more)
Muppet Yoda is back (no CGI nonsense)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I enjoyed the film at the time, but something niggles afterwards that some of it was just sloppy.
Captain Phasma - a strong female villain - was barely present and did not add anywhere near as much to the story as hoped for.
There was the perfect opportunity to write Carrie Fisher out of the story in a particularly poignant moment, but that wasn't followed through (and now she will just have to be written out in the opening scenes of the following film "Oh isn't it a shame about General Morgana dying").
The most irritating part of the plot for me was how quickly Finn is supposed to have walked back, dragging Rose. It took them 10 minutes driving to their destination but he somehow manages to walk it in 2 minutes, dragging another person, past a fleet of AT-ATs! That took me right out of the moment.
Rey was not used anywhere near enough. As the strong female lead, having her spend the entire film trying to persuade Luke to help or train her was just a waste of time. They should have just used a montage.
Otherwise it was an acceptable film in the series, less of a remake of Empire than The Force Awakens was of A New Hope thankfully.
Captain Phasma - a strong female villain - was barely present and did not add anywhere near as much to the story as hoped for.
There was the perfect opportunity to write Carrie Fisher out of the story in a particularly poignant moment, but that wasn't followed through (and now she will just have to be written out in the opening scenes of the following film "Oh isn't it a shame about General Morgana dying").
The most irritating part of the plot for me was how quickly Finn is supposed to have walked back, dragging Rose. It took them 10 minutes driving to their destination but he somehow manages to walk it in 2 minutes, dragging another person, past a fleet of AT-ATs! That took me right out of the moment.
Rey was not used anywhere near enough. As the strong female lead, having her spend the entire film trying to persuade Luke to help or train her was just a waste of time. They should have just used a montage.
Otherwise it was an acceptable film in the series, less of a remake of Empire than The Force Awakens was of A New Hope thankfully.