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Villainous Vee (53 KP) rated Instant Family (2019) in Movies
Feb 27, 2019
Great casting (2 more)
Great script
Great message
This film was amazing!
Totally heartwarming to the point where I cried several times, however there were brilliantly timed comedic lines, that you could have tears streaming down your face but still be laughing.
Although crammed in to a 2 hour film I think they really accentuated the parts that needed to be. That fostering children is going to be hard especially if that childs parents are in the picture and wanting contact, that these children have sometimes been through more in their short lives than most people do in an entire lifetime but really all they want, even if they won't admit it and push against it, is a family, hugs, attention, to feel wanted, be safe and feel loved.
The message behind the film was beautiful and for me the cherry on top was during the credits where they had pictures of real families with their foster or adopted children, beautiful way to honour them.
Please go and see this film if you are on the fence because it was beautiful.
Totally heartwarming to the point where I cried several times, however there were brilliantly timed comedic lines, that you could have tears streaming down your face but still be laughing.
Although crammed in to a 2 hour film I think they really accentuated the parts that needed to be. That fostering children is going to be hard especially if that childs parents are in the picture and wanting contact, that these children have sometimes been through more in their short lives than most people do in an entire lifetime but really all they want, even if they won't admit it and push against it, is a family, hugs, attention, to feel wanted, be safe and feel loved.
The message behind the film was beautiful and for me the cherry on top was during the credits where they had pictures of real families with their foster or adopted children, beautiful way to honour them.
Please go and see this film if you are on the fence because it was beautiful.

Andy K (10823 KP) rated Martyrs (2008) in Movies
Mar 29, 2019 (Updated Mar 29, 2019)
Hard to handle
Director Pascal Laugier said he modeled the ideas and script for this film after "Hostel" and you can see a lot of comparisons from the obvious plot similarities to the definite two sections of both films showcasing different styles and subtexts.
Martyrs is more cerebral, darker and more supernatural getting into the characters minds somewhat, but still having that brutal, visceral element for sure.
I would have to say some of the brutality may be unnecessary; however, I think one of the points of the film is how much a human being can endure, so it's hard to make a conclusion on that.
If you don't like movies like Hostel or Saw I can't seeing you like this one either since they have similar plot devices. I found a lot of this film interesting as it takes chances and definitely shows you things you haven't seen before.
If someone said it was "torture porn shite" it would be hard to argue with them either. All your point of view I guess.
Martyrs is more cerebral, darker and more supernatural getting into the characters minds somewhat, but still having that brutal, visceral element for sure.
I would have to say some of the brutality may be unnecessary; however, I think one of the points of the film is how much a human being can endure, so it's hard to make a conclusion on that.
If you don't like movies like Hostel or Saw I can't seeing you like this one either since they have similar plot devices. I found a lot of this film interesting as it takes chances and definitely shows you things you haven't seen before.
If someone said it was "torture porn shite" it would be hard to argue with them either. All your point of view I guess.

Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
May 5, 2019 (Updated May 5, 2019)
What if Robocop wasnt a cop??
Stumbled across this beaut of a film. Premise is man and wife get into a car accident and then robbed. Wife is killed and man is left paralysed below the neck. Mans friend (who is a computer designer type person) offers him the chance at a normal life with a new chip that can operate limbs for you. Man takes off and starts to investigate his wife's murder and mystery and who done it starts. This film is at its heart a thriller but is based in a sci fi futuristic world. It is also has some excellent body horror and gore in it including a 'mouth cut' which was bloody awesome! Some of the dialogue is a bit silly with the main character giving crappy 1 liners whilst fighting the people who he suspects of killing his wife but it's not that off putting and I was able to laugh these off. All in all a really good film and well worth a watch.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Suicide Squad (2016) in Movies
Jan 21, 2018
One of the better DC films... and it’s awful
The only good thing I have to say about this film is it has a pretty good soundtrack. And it’s probably one of the better DC films (although I haven’t seen Wonder Woman). But that isn’t saying much.
Everything else in this film is atrocious. The acting is terrible, even coming from some fairly established actors. Jared Leto’s Performance as the Joker is so over the top and unnecessary that it’s cringeworthy and laughable. Enchantress and her brother as the villains, along with their squid head army, are possibly the lamest villains in any superhero film. The CGI is really bad for the most part, and the script is terrible along with the very weak plot. Continuity also seems to be a big issue, flitting between evening and daylight for a number of scenes and expecting us not to notice. This isn’t even one of those that is so bad it’s good, it’s just plain old bad. Avoid at all costs.
Everything else in this film is atrocious. The acting is terrible, even coming from some fairly established actors. Jared Leto’s Performance as the Joker is so over the top and unnecessary that it’s cringeworthy and laughable. Enchantress and her brother as the villains, along with their squid head army, are possibly the lamest villains in any superhero film. The CGI is really bad for the most part, and the script is terrible along with the very weak plot. Continuity also seems to be a big issue, flitting between evening and daylight for a number of scenes and expecting us not to notice. This isn’t even one of those that is so bad it’s good, it’s just plain old bad. Avoid at all costs.

Joe Julians (221 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Solid performances (1 more)
Great effects
The Cloverfield link (1 more)
Muddled story
Not a long review for this one as I can't think of too much to say about it. There's a great movie here somewhere, the first half in particular sets up a solid space adventure that looks to really focus on the intriguing alternate reality concept it presents. But this ends up becoming muddled and not overly interesting. The cast are fne and the script has moments of greatness, but a lot of this is just a bit dull and not as gripping as it could have been.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.

Dakota Morrill (17 KP) rated The Shawshank Redemption (1994) in Movies
Mar 2, 2018
Great movie with one annoying flaw
Contains spoilers, click to show
I saw this movie for the first time only recently after hearing my friends preach about it for years. I knew it was a short story by Steven King that was adapted into an extremely long movie, but I had no idea what the movie was about until I hit that play button.
The question of whether or not Andy actually killed his wife and her lover is never answered. I’d held my breath hoping we’d get some form of true closure, but with the events that transpire, any chances of finding out what truly happened is shut down.
The biggest reason that I would prefer to give this film an 8.5 however is the boring stereotypical ending involving Andy escaping, the evil Warden dying, the mean enforcer being enforced, and Red simply joining Andy in dream land working together forever more to live happily ever after. It feels like they just got bored after writing such a long script that they wrote a placeholder then walked away, forgetting to come back later and finish. Disappointing.
The question of whether or not Andy actually killed his wife and her lover is never answered. I’d held my breath hoping we’d get some form of true closure, but with the events that transpire, any chances of finding out what truly happened is shut down.
The biggest reason that I would prefer to give this film an 8.5 however is the boring stereotypical ending involving Andy escaping, the evil Warden dying, the mean enforcer being enforced, and Red simply joining Andy in dream land working together forever more to live happily ever after. It feels like they just got bored after writing such a long script that they wrote a placeholder then walked away, forgetting to come back later and finish. Disappointing.

Awix (3310 KP) rated Biggles (1986) in Movies
Mar 28, 2018 (Updated Mar 28, 2018)
Biggles Cocks It Up
Startlingly incompetent big-screen version of the classic boy's-adventure hero. New York yuppie discovers he is 'time twin' of First World War fighter ace, is plucked back through time to help him destroy a German secret weapon. Don't worry, it doesn't make any more sense in the actual movie.
Potentially charming adventure movie is utterly torpedoed by fatal uncertainty of tone; what started off as a 'straight' period movie is reduced to gibberish by the addition of witless time-travel plotline, which drags crass 80s 'comedy' bits in with it. The fact it largely seems to be the work of people who've never actually seen a film before, let alone worked on one, is the just the coup de grace. Even Peter Cushing's usual near-supernatural ability to lift a dubious script mostly fails him; no wonder this was his final (non-CGI) big-screen appearance. Soundtrack contains Queen bassist John Deacon's only recordings away from the band; this is almost certainly not a good enough reason to watch the damn thing.
Potentially charming adventure movie is utterly torpedoed by fatal uncertainty of tone; what started off as a 'straight' period movie is reduced to gibberish by the addition of witless time-travel plotline, which drags crass 80s 'comedy' bits in with it. The fact it largely seems to be the work of people who've never actually seen a film before, let alone worked on one, is the just the coup de grace. Even Peter Cushing's usual near-supernatural ability to lift a dubious script mostly fails him; no wonder this was his final (non-CGI) big-screen appearance. Soundtrack contains Queen bassist John Deacon's only recordings away from the band; this is almost certainly not a good enough reason to watch the damn thing.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Peter Rabbit (2018) in Movies
Mar 28, 2018
Childhood memories, ruined
I'll be frankly honest, I knew I was going to hate this film. For one, I didn't want to watch it and got dragged against my will for a friends birthday. And I also really don't like James Corden, so this was destined to fail in my eyes.
And it really did fail. James Corden just isn't right as Peter and I really couldn't listen to him and the rest of the voice actors seemed to not quite fit either. Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor but he really hams it up to the point it gets cringeworthy. The CGI was horrific and painful to watch at times too. What happened to good old fashioned animation (which the film does use briefly)? And the script and jokes are cheesy and really miss the mark - I'll admit to having a discerning sense of humour but I didn't laugh once.
This is great puerile fun for the little ones, but all it did for me is ruin all the fond memories I have of Beatrix Potter stories from my childhood.
And it really did fail. James Corden just isn't right as Peter and I really couldn't listen to him and the rest of the voice actors seemed to not quite fit either. Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor but he really hams it up to the point it gets cringeworthy. The CGI was horrific and painful to watch at times too. What happened to good old fashioned animation (which the film does use briefly)? And the script and jokes are cheesy and really miss the mark - I'll admit to having a discerning sense of humour but I didn't laugh once.
This is great puerile fun for the little ones, but all it did for me is ruin all the fond memories I have of Beatrix Potter stories from my childhood.

Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018 (Updated Feb 13, 2018)
A Mid-life Crisis, but Not as We Know It
Easily the best of the Trek movies. Made with half-an-eye to concluding the franchise, it ended up revitalising the series for another quarter century.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.

Erika (17789 KP) rated The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) in Movies
Nov 10, 2018
For starters, I haven't bothered to read this book, or the next book that weren't written by Stieg Larsson... If this film is any indication of how the book was... I'm glad I didn't waste the time.
There's nothing really wrong with the film, per say, it's an interesting thriller. It really wasn't the Lisbeth Salander I remember, she's been changed into just a bland, strong female character with an edgy look.
It was a strange move for Sony to skip the rest of the original trilogy. I thought Rooney Mara was a fantastic Salander, and I thought Daniel Craig did alright.
Claire Foy did alright, I guess, if that was the script she was given. Still, I couldn't help but compare her, and I don't think I'm the only one that will do that. I did really like Sverrir Gudnason as Blomkvist.
The opening credits tried so hard to be like GWTDT, but failed, and it kind of annoyed me that they even attempted it. Sorry but, you can't compete with a Trent Reznor and KO cover of the Immigrant Song.
There's nothing really wrong with the film, per say, it's an interesting thriller. It really wasn't the Lisbeth Salander I remember, she's been changed into just a bland, strong female character with an edgy look.
It was a strange move for Sony to skip the rest of the original trilogy. I thought Rooney Mara was a fantastic Salander, and I thought Daniel Craig did alright.
Claire Foy did alright, I guess, if that was the script she was given. Still, I couldn't help but compare her, and I don't think I'm the only one that will do that. I did really like Sverrir Gudnason as Blomkvist.
The opening credits tried so hard to be like GWTDT, but failed, and it kind of annoyed me that they even attempted it. Sorry but, you can't compete with a Trent Reznor and KO cover of the Immigrant Song.