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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Time Traveler's Wife in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I can’t believe that it was released almost 8 years ago; it feels that I saw the movie just yesterday. But a good creation never gets old. This is a fascinating love story filled with romance, unbelievable amount of patience and tragedy. The book itself is so well thought through that even if you wipe your tears while reading it (I know I did) the ending will still give you that “oh, thanks God” feeling. There is a little bit of confusion in this book due to past – present jumps, but more you read it more sense it makes. My biggest enemies in books are long chapters and this book didn’t disappoint me, chapters are not very long and divided into smaller parts, so if you like to read while on the go, this book is for you. I was glad that this book was made into movie, it really deserved it. Even though the books will always be better than movies, this book’s screenplay was really entertaining. In conclusion, this book is witty, entertaining and at the same time sad, so if you looking for something like that, give it a go and I think you will be pleased.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Men in Black (1997) in Movies
Feb 16, 2020
I don't know what it is about this movie that just left me unsatisfied, but I just did not like this film. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play an intergalactic crime-fighting duo. It definitely feels like Smith was the token black man in this film and as much as it was seen in the 90s and throughout other decades of film, it doesn't make it any more pleasurable to watch.
This film's plot just could not keep me engaged. I always end up really disappointed when the storyline is so promising and there is so much room to run and a shoddy plot comes out of it and the film or book or tv show, whatever the medium, ends up being lackluster. That's how I felt about this film.
Tommy Lee Jones's character was stiff and unlikeable so by the time the end of the film comes, you don't feel any type of way about how his character arc is resolved. I have a feeling the intention was to feel sad for him but also sad for Jay and it just doesn't happen like that. Will Smith's jokes were not funny and it's clear, once again, that his blackness was what he brought to this film. I find myself having a hard time reconciling the stereotype they put him in and the character he was supposed to play. I'm thinking they're one and the same.
Generally just disappointed in this film. Am I going to watch the next one? Yes. Will I probably regret it? Yes. I guess we'll see.
This film's plot just could not keep me engaged. I always end up really disappointed when the storyline is so promising and there is so much room to run and a shoddy plot comes out of it and the film or book or tv show, whatever the medium, ends up being lackluster. That's how I felt about this film.
Tommy Lee Jones's character was stiff and unlikeable so by the time the end of the film comes, you don't feel any type of way about how his character arc is resolved. I have a feeling the intention was to feel sad for him but also sad for Jay and it just doesn't happen like that. Will Smith's jokes were not funny and it's clear, once again, that his blackness was what he brought to this film. I find myself having a hard time reconciling the stereotype they put him in and the character he was supposed to play. I'm thinking they're one and the same.
Generally just disappointed in this film. Am I going to watch the next one? Yes. Will I probably regret it? Yes. I guess we'll see.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Monster House (2006) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019 (Updated Jan 14, 2020)
A horror film for children - is what Monster House is marketed as, and it's pretty much just that.
The animation style is different, looks a little ropey by todays standard but is still pretty charming.
The narrative really drags to begin with, with characters who are hard to get on board with (accept the grumpy old man, that guys speaks to me...)
The halfway mark is a turning point. When it becomes clearly obvious that the kids are being terrorized by a living house intent on eating them, it feels like a crazy episode of Scooby Doo.
The final 15 minutes or so are great, and where the animation is at its best. It also packs in a genuinely sad plot point that lends the movie an emotional edge, and it's the exact kind of thing that makes these kind of films good.
There are certainly better animated films out there, but it's not the worst way to spend an hour and a half.
The animation style is different, looks a little ropey by todays standard but is still pretty charming.
The narrative really drags to begin with, with characters who are hard to get on board with (accept the grumpy old man, that guys speaks to me...)
The halfway mark is a turning point. When it becomes clearly obvious that the kids are being terrorized by a living house intent on eating them, it feels like a crazy episode of Scooby Doo.
The final 15 minutes or so are great, and where the animation is at its best. It also packs in a genuinely sad plot point that lends the movie an emotional edge, and it's the exact kind of thing that makes these kind of films good.
There are certainly better animated films out there, but it's not the worst way to spend an hour and a half.
John Taylor recommended The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Final Girls (2015) in Movies
Apr 23, 2021
There are several reasons why The Final Girls is a goddam delight.
For a start, it's an unabashed love letter to the Friday the 13th series, both playing tribute, and poking fun at its tropes. If you're a fan of summer camp slashers, then you'll find a lot to love. The comedy on display is decent and never feels too try hard, and even manages to lightly berate the horror fan community whilst managing to remain endearing.
Amongst all the silliness however, lurks a touching and often sad story about loss and coming to terms with grief. Fantastic performances from Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman compliment these moments, and they land pretty well. The characters are solidly balanced, and result in a movie that knows when to be funny, and when to be serious.
The Final Girls has quickly become a bit of a cult favourite since it's release in 2015, and it's easy to see why. Good stuff!
For a start, it's an unabashed love letter to the Friday the 13th series, both playing tribute, and poking fun at its tropes. If you're a fan of summer camp slashers, then you'll find a lot to love. The comedy on display is decent and never feels too try hard, and even manages to lightly berate the horror fan community whilst managing to remain endearing.
Amongst all the silliness however, lurks a touching and often sad story about loss and coming to terms with grief. Fantastic performances from Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman compliment these moments, and they land pretty well. The characters are solidly balanced, and result in a movie that knows when to be funny, and when to be serious.
The Final Girls has quickly become a bit of a cult favourite since it's release in 2015, and it's easy to see why. Good stuff!
Richard Hell recommended Kiss Me Deadly (2008) in Movies (curated)
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Dec 9, 2019
Half baked
jumanji next level is like an uninteresting game cutscene thats also unskippable its dull, frustrating, overlong and makes you wish you were doing something else. I actualy quite enjoyed the first instalment I it had some genuinely good ideas, great set pieces and some really fun action so i find it sad to say the sequel is not worth your time at all. Starting in the real world here lies its fist problem: not only are all the teens really boring and generic characters they are all also played by people that just cant act which absolutely kills any attachment to the characters and makes them seem more like one dimensional npcs in a cheap videogame. This would all be fine if the film jumped quickly into the game and the action but instead we get stuck with them for so long that i was begining to get restless way before we even begin to enter the jumanji. Once we do enter the game things do pick up but not by much as what we get is essentially a long drawn out re-skin of the first movie stuffed full of repetative humour and references. Its also contains some of the worst shot/lazy action scenes i have seen this year with not only poor cgi that offers no sense of weight but also no sense of thrill or excitement either. Long unnecessary scenes also plague the film too adding nothing to the story or character development and some jokes even go on for way to long even though they muster no laughs at all. Theres definitely some fun in watching the rock, kevin heart, jack black and karen gilinham act like thier in movie real world counterparts as they do a really impressive job of imitating the teen characters better than the teen actors do them selves. Another huge problem comes from each game character having only three lives as this immediately removes all threat/peril from the movie and again kills all tension too. If i had to sum up this sequel i would say its a movie made for people that talk through movies and i garantee if you go and see it at the cinema i bet thats what people will do because it lacks anything to keep even casual movie goers engaged and focused. More like disappointing dlc that you paid for upfront than 'next level' this movie really isnt worth your time. If you own the previous movies id stay home in the warm and watch them instead save yourself an over two hour slog of bad jokes and poor action.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Lodge (2008) in Movies
Jul 22, 2018
Good acting (2 more)
Creepy moments
The sadistic daughter
Shooting felt amateur (3 more)
85% of it was slow and boring
No shocks or twists
Didn't feel R rated
A cliche "horror" that lacks so much
First off I just want to say you can't spoil this movie. Whatever you think is going to happen, it will happen. There are no shocks or twists to the story.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.
The kids are amazing (1 more)
So is Pennywise!
If you're of a certain age you'll probably remember the 'It' TV mini series of 1990, based on Stephen Kings classic novel. And you'll also have lasting memories of Tim Curry as Pennywise, the demonic clown who terrorises the town of Derry, Maine. His was the definitive evil clown, the benchmark for all scary movie clowns to come. This big screen version remake had a lot to live up to.
We meet the new Pennywise pretty early on in the movie as young Georgie ventures out into the heavy rain to play with the paper boat that he and older brother Bill just made. Anyone familiar with the story, or the trailer for the movie, knows exactly what's coming, so it's no surprise when Pennywise appears in the drain where Georgie loses his boat. Calmly menacing, and excellently played by Bill Skarsgård, but sounding strangely like Scooby-Doo as he chats away to Georgie, which kind of made him more funny than scary. It's not until he bites off Georgie's arm and drags him down into the sewer that you know he means business.
From there, Pennywise takes a bit of a backseat as we're introduced to our core cast of kids. It's been a while since Georgie disappeared and kids are still going missing around town, meaning there's now a 7pm curfew in effect. Bill is still mourning the loss of younger brother Georgie and his group of friends all have their own personal issues and demons too. These are gradually explored throughout the movie and are in some ways more sad and disturbing than Pennywise. On top of that, the local bully and his gang like to make their lives hell too and all of this is just hugely enjoyable, giving off a wonderful Stand By Me/The Goonies/Stranger Things feel, even more so as the movie is set in the 80s. The kids swear, make jokes together and at the expense of each other. They ride their bikes around town, have rock fights with the bullies and the entire cast is just a joy to watch.
Eventually, Pennywise steps things up a notch as he begins appearing to each of the kids, playing on their fears as he tries to lure them to their deaths. His appearances tend to involve a creepy, chilling build up, followed by a surprisingly effective jump scare (certainly some of the women in nearby seats to me seemed to be constantly on the brink of having a heart attack!). The scares become increasingly inventive and enjoyable as the movie progresses and while not as scary and gory as some might like, they still manage to work well within the whole movie.
I had a lot of fun watching It. And this is only Chapter One of a two part series, with Chapter Two set to focus on the part of the story where the kids are all adults. I can't wait to see what comes next!
We meet the new Pennywise pretty early on in the movie as young Georgie ventures out into the heavy rain to play with the paper boat that he and older brother Bill just made. Anyone familiar with the story, or the trailer for the movie, knows exactly what's coming, so it's no surprise when Pennywise appears in the drain where Georgie loses his boat. Calmly menacing, and excellently played by Bill Skarsgård, but sounding strangely like Scooby-Doo as he chats away to Georgie, which kind of made him more funny than scary. It's not until he bites off Georgie's arm and drags him down into the sewer that you know he means business.
From there, Pennywise takes a bit of a backseat as we're introduced to our core cast of kids. It's been a while since Georgie disappeared and kids are still going missing around town, meaning there's now a 7pm curfew in effect. Bill is still mourning the loss of younger brother Georgie and his group of friends all have their own personal issues and demons too. These are gradually explored throughout the movie and are in some ways more sad and disturbing than Pennywise. On top of that, the local bully and his gang like to make their lives hell too and all of this is just hugely enjoyable, giving off a wonderful Stand By Me/The Goonies/Stranger Things feel, even more so as the movie is set in the 80s. The kids swear, make jokes together and at the expense of each other. They ride their bikes around town, have rock fights with the bullies and the entire cast is just a joy to watch.
Eventually, Pennywise steps things up a notch as he begins appearing to each of the kids, playing on their fears as he tries to lure them to their deaths. His appearances tend to involve a creepy, chilling build up, followed by a surprisingly effective jump scare (certainly some of the women in nearby seats to me seemed to be constantly on the brink of having a heart attack!). The scares become increasingly inventive and enjoyable as the movie progresses and while not as scary and gory as some might like, they still manage to work well within the whole movie.
I had a lot of fun watching It. And this is only Chapter One of a two part series, with Chapter Two set to focus on the part of the story where the kids are all adults. I can't wait to see what comes next!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Antebellum (2020) in Movies
Oct 12, 2020
Monae shines - the rest falls flat
One of the films that I circled on my calendar back in the beginning of 2020 was a trippy looking "Civil War anachronism" film (my term) ANTEBELLUM starring Janelle Monae. I'm a sucker for these kinds of films, so was a little sad that I couldn't see it in the theater, but was thrilled when this "horror film" debuted on pay-per-view in time for Halloween.
I now know why the producers of this film decided to get this out now vs. waiting to release it theatrically sometime in 2021.
Billed as "Jordan Peel's GET OUT meets an M. Night Shyamalan film", ANTEBELLUM is a movie told in 3 acts. In the first act, Janelle Monae's character (who is given the slave name Eden) is brought into a Southern, Antebellum, plantation. This part of the film shows the desperation and despair that slaves lived in at a time that they had no rights and were under the whims of their White Slave Owners. The character of Eden is fiesty and is constantly looking to escape, but...eventually...is worn down by her masters and capitulates...to a point. This is the most successful part of this film, but has been better covered in other films like 12 YEARS A SLAVE.
The 2nd part of this movie takes place in "modern day" and concerns a successful author, Veronica Henley (also played by Monae). This character specializes in books and motivational speeches designed to empower the African-American woman. This part of the movie highlights Monae's appeal as a screen presence and she overcomes some weak writing to rise above. This part of the film, ultimately, falls flat for me, but I was curious as to how these 2 very different pieces of this movie fit together.
The 3rd part of this movie answers that question. If only, it answered it better....for pieces of this part of the movie works well...but others fall very, very flat resulting, ultimately, in a less than satisfying film-going experience that could have used some further work.
Monae's performance (for the most part) shines in this movie. She handles both characters that she is playing in a sharp, charismatic way. I could really buy that she is a popular "motivational" speaker (in the modern part of the movie). I could also see the fire in her spirit during the "Antebellum" part. What I didn't buy (and a weakness in the script doesn't help this part) is her "capitulation" to her slave owners.
And...that's about if for performances that stood out. All of the white actors playing the slave owners (mainly Eric Lange, Jena Malone and Jack Huston) are capital "E" evil. While this is probably historically accurate, they weren't evil enough - or multi-dimensional enough - to keep my attention. Compounding that issue is that the other characters in the "modern part" of the film are very generic and forgettable.
And then we get to the 3rd part of this film - where the first 2 parts are melded together.
It is one of those types of storytelling tropes that either you "go with it" or you don't. If you don't, the movie will lose you right there. If you do (and I did), then it is an interesting place to go and blends the first 2 parts of the film "well enough". My problem is that I didn't care enough about the characters to care about what happens.
I lay the blame of this on filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. They co-wrote and co-directed this movie. I had never heard of them, or (I don't think) I've encountered their work before, but upon reading up on them, they are listed as "Visionary Filmmakers Bush+Renz". If they are visionaries, they sure didn't bring much vision here. It was all pretty straightforward and could have used some other kind of "visionary" to lift this movie to a higher level.
You know, like Jordan Peele or even M. Night Shyamalan.
Letter Grade C+
5 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
I now know why the producers of this film decided to get this out now vs. waiting to release it theatrically sometime in 2021.
Billed as "Jordan Peel's GET OUT meets an M. Night Shyamalan film", ANTEBELLUM is a movie told in 3 acts. In the first act, Janelle Monae's character (who is given the slave name Eden) is brought into a Southern, Antebellum, plantation. This part of the film shows the desperation and despair that slaves lived in at a time that they had no rights and were under the whims of their White Slave Owners. The character of Eden is fiesty and is constantly looking to escape, but...eventually...is worn down by her masters and capitulates...to a point. This is the most successful part of this film, but has been better covered in other films like 12 YEARS A SLAVE.
The 2nd part of this movie takes place in "modern day" and concerns a successful author, Veronica Henley (also played by Monae). This character specializes in books and motivational speeches designed to empower the African-American woman. This part of the movie highlights Monae's appeal as a screen presence and she overcomes some weak writing to rise above. This part of the film, ultimately, falls flat for me, but I was curious as to how these 2 very different pieces of this movie fit together.
The 3rd part of this movie answers that question. If only, it answered it better....for pieces of this part of the movie works well...but others fall very, very flat resulting, ultimately, in a less than satisfying film-going experience that could have used some further work.
Monae's performance (for the most part) shines in this movie. She handles both characters that she is playing in a sharp, charismatic way. I could really buy that she is a popular "motivational" speaker (in the modern part of the movie). I could also see the fire in her spirit during the "Antebellum" part. What I didn't buy (and a weakness in the script doesn't help this part) is her "capitulation" to her slave owners.
And...that's about if for performances that stood out. All of the white actors playing the slave owners (mainly Eric Lange, Jena Malone and Jack Huston) are capital "E" evil. While this is probably historically accurate, they weren't evil enough - or multi-dimensional enough - to keep my attention. Compounding that issue is that the other characters in the "modern part" of the film are very generic and forgettable.
And then we get to the 3rd part of this film - where the first 2 parts are melded together.
It is one of those types of storytelling tropes that either you "go with it" or you don't. If you don't, the movie will lose you right there. If you do (and I did), then it is an interesting place to go and blends the first 2 parts of the film "well enough". My problem is that I didn't care enough about the characters to care about what happens.
I lay the blame of this on filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. They co-wrote and co-directed this movie. I had never heard of them, or (I don't think) I've encountered their work before, but upon reading up on them, they are listed as "Visionary Filmmakers Bush+Renz". If they are visionaries, they sure didn't bring much vision here. It was all pretty straightforward and could have used some other kind of "visionary" to lift this movie to a higher level.
You know, like Jordan Peele or even M. Night Shyamalan.
Letter Grade C+
5 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)