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Awix (3310 KP) rated Village of the Damned (1995) in Movies

Nov 16, 2019

Village of the Damned (1995)

1995 | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

6.2

(15 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Thumpingly unsubtle SF remake turns up the horror dial but doesn't seem aware that sometimes less is more. After a strange town-wide blackout, the citizens of Midwich (do they really have 'villages' in Northern California, anyway?) discover ten women have simultaneously become pregnant. They give birth to eerily similar children who seem to have psychic powers.

Released in 1995, this is very much The Midwich Cuckoos for the X Files generation, but ends up just another signpost marking the decline of John Carpenter as a film-maker worth paying attention to. The sad thing is that he really does seem familiar with both the original British film and the source novel (elements of the book missing from the 1960 film reappear here) and is obviously trying to do his best to honour them, but where John Wyndham is chillingly subtle and understated, John Carpenter is just walloping the audience with a succession of predictable set-piece 'shocks'. Reasonable CGI but overall it looks cheap and unconvincing; some reasonable performances from an interesting cast, but there's a limit to what they can do with such a duff script.

Kudos

Vegas (725 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies

Mar 21, 2020

Stan & Ollie (2018)

2018 | Biography, Comedy, Drama

8.0

(30 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

The portrayal of Stan and Ollie (0 more)

Not a real feel good film considering the subject. (0 more)

Great portrayal of two greats

Coogan and Reilly star as the legendary double act, both actors must has spent hours perfecting Laurel and Hardys mannerisms, speech and comic timing as their portrayal of their respective characters are spot on...

This is the story of the latter part of their career, on a tour of the UK with the possibility of a new film as a dangling carrot to perform...

The comic routines during the stage parts of the film are almost as well performed as the real thing, yet coupled with the humour, is an underlying sadness of two stars trying to regain what they once had, and it's this that stops it being a feel good film as it is quite moving and sad if you are a fan of the duo...

It is interesting to see how their relationship is strained at times yet in spite of that how much they obviously cared for each other...

I don't know if the stars won any awards for their playing of Stan & Ollie, but if they didn't, they should have...

Kudos

Phil Maxwell (25 KP) rated Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) in Movies

Apr 5, 2020

Margot Robbie (0 more)

Everything else (0 more)

Fantabulously Disappointing

Having seen trailers for this film quite a while ago I had high hopes for Birds Of Prey. Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that cram packs all the decent and semi decent action sequences into 3-4 minute trailers to try and entice people into watching. So sad.
While Suicide Squad had left me feeling rather lukewarm, there were enough good points in it so that I hadn't left the cinema feeling like I'd completely wasted my money. Birds Of Prey on the other hand... My God!
It seemed more akin to a comic book version of Thelma And Louise (with a couple more tag alongs thrown in to try and simulate the girl power vibe) than anything vaguely resembling how Harley had been portrayed in Suicide Squad- or in the graphic novels for that matter.
It truly is a shame as I think Margot Robbie is quite good an actress, but I think when she'd been handed this script by her agent she should have just chucked it in the bin without a second thought.

Kudos

Jackjack (877 KP) rated A Star Is Born (2018) in Movies

Apr 19, 2020

A Star Is Born (2018)

2018 | Drama, Romance

8.3

(71 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Pretty good!

Ok so I loved how this film captured the raw romantic start to the film, a big star bringing a women he just met to his big show making her sing, it was oh so magical.

I well and truly got lost in this emotional rollercoaster, the film opens with lady gaga In her very average job, she finishes her shift and goes to perform in a drag act/gay bar, here is where she sings her heart out and it just so happens a very drunk Bradley cooper is in there listening after he had just performed his own concert, it all stems from there you see how they get close and he brings her to all his gigs where she sings her songs on stage and she finally gets noticed and becomes a big star herself, but it's not all glamour and fame you see the ups and downs in a stars world with her husband on a downwards spiral abusing drugs and alcohol you see the struggle and see the love between them Both. Amazing story with a very unpredictable sad ending. Definitely worth the watch!