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Awix (3310 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies
Oct 11, 2018
It doesn't make a lot of sense to make a film about a Spider-Man baddie that doesn't even mention Spider-Man, but then it doesn't strike me as an especially good move to make a superhero movie where the protagonist is a cannibalistic blob with teeth, and Venom manages to be both; welcome to 2018. TV reporter torches his own career, decides to investigate dodgy tycoon, ends up sharing his body with bad-tempered man-eating alien blob with teeth - looking on the bright side he can now shoot tentacles out of his armpits.
Generally a very good reminder of all the reasons why Sony were so wise to hand the actual creative side of the Spider-Man movies back to Marvel, because the script of this movie goes clunk-clunk-clunk from beginning to end; character motivations change in the twinkling of an eye and key plot points are merrily ignored when they become inconvenient. The only reason to watch the movie is Tom Hardy, who finds unexpected reserves of comedy in rather unlikely places. Still a bit of a mess though, certainly compared to the main sequence Marvel films.
Generally a very good reminder of all the reasons why Sony were so wise to hand the actual creative side of the Spider-Man movies back to Marvel, because the script of this movie goes clunk-clunk-clunk from beginning to end; character motivations change in the twinkling of an eye and key plot points are merrily ignored when they become inconvenient. The only reason to watch the movie is Tom Hardy, who finds unexpected reserves of comedy in rather unlikely places. Still a bit of a mess though, certainly compared to the main sequence Marvel films.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Small Soldiers (1998) in Movies
Dec 24, 2019
Lots of fun
I remember watching this as a child at the cinema when it was first released (I was 11), and absolutely loved it. And to be honest watching it again now, i still think it's a huge amount of fun.
This is like the antidote to Toy Story. Yes there are good toys in this, but the stars of this film are the rather nasty Commando Elite led by Chip Hazard, voiced perfectly by the wonderful Tommy Lee Jones. The idea of toys playing out real life war games against other toys (and humans) makes for such a fun and entertaining film. It's not scary but not entirely child friendly either, and is really quite funny at times. And unusually for a kids film made in the 90s, the script isn't completely terrible or cheesy. The special effects are for the most part fairly decent and the cast too (both voice and real life) are all very good. Considering this is made by Joe Dante who brought us both Gremlins films, it's no surprise really it's such a fun film and yet strangely underrated.
This is like the antidote to Toy Story. Yes there are good toys in this, but the stars of this film are the rather nasty Commando Elite led by Chip Hazard, voiced perfectly by the wonderful Tommy Lee Jones. The idea of toys playing out real life war games against other toys (and humans) makes for such a fun and entertaining film. It's not scary but not entirely child friendly either, and is really quite funny at times. And unusually for a kids film made in the 90s, the script isn't completely terrible or cheesy. The special effects are for the most part fairly decent and the cast too (both voice and real life) are all very good. Considering this is made by Joe Dante who brought us both Gremlins films, it's no surprise really it's such a fun film and yet strangely underrated.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dogora (1964) in Movies
Jul 20, 2019 (Updated Jul 20, 2019)
Bonkers Japanese sci-fi from the Godzilla team makes most of those movies look like models of restraint and gritty realism. Odd things are afoot in Japan as seemingly random objects - coal, trucks, bank robbers, buildings - start spontaneously floating into the air. 'I never jump to conclusions but I think a giant space monster is probably responsible,' says the lead cop investigating the case. Of course, he is correct, and it's up to the usual team of cops, scientists, and soldiers to save the day.
The really weird thing about Dogora - and this is saying something - is that the giant diamond-eating monster element is not the oddest thing about this film. Most of it looks and feels like a particularly frantic cops-and-robbers thriller with the odd giant floating blob sequence edited in under protest. Still, the script has Shinichi Sekizawa's usual cheerful wit and the special effects are, believe it or not, excellent. Good fun if you like tokusatsu movies; the climax, in which wasp venom is used to try and petrify the monster and a gun battle turns into a dynamite-chucking contest, has to be seen to be believed.
The really weird thing about Dogora - and this is saying something - is that the giant diamond-eating monster element is not the oddest thing about this film. Most of it looks and feels like a particularly frantic cops-and-robbers thriller with the odd giant floating blob sequence edited in under protest. Still, the script has Shinichi Sekizawa's usual cheerful wit and the special effects are, believe it or not, excellent. Good fun if you like tokusatsu movies; the climax, in which wasp venom is used to try and petrify the monster and a gun battle turns into a dynamite-chucking contest, has to be seen to be believed.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Terminal (2018) in Movies
Jan 13, 2019
Such a bore
I’d never really heard of this film until I saw it on Prime, I’m not even sure it’s been out at the cinema over here but I figured it couldn’t be that bad.... I was wrong.
This film is trying to be a sort of neon version of Sin City, but sadly it fails in every aspect that film succeeded. The plot is just dull and boring, with every predictable plot twist that you could think of thrown into a short 90 minute run time. The script is terrible, and I’m not sure some of the acting is any better. The usually fantastic Margot Robbie is bad in this, and her accent is downright terrible. It’s always pleasant to see Simon Pegg and it was nice to see Mike Myers back, but both were let down by the rest of this very poor film. For a film with such a short run time too, it didn’t half drag on and seems to have taken most of its plot points from other more well known (and much better) films. Now I know why this didn’t get shown in cinemas.
This film is trying to be a sort of neon version of Sin City, but sadly it fails in every aspect that film succeeded. The plot is just dull and boring, with every predictable plot twist that you could think of thrown into a short 90 minute run time. The script is terrible, and I’m not sure some of the acting is any better. The usually fantastic Margot Robbie is bad in this, and her accent is downright terrible. It’s always pleasant to see Simon Pegg and it was nice to see Mike Myers back, but both were let down by the rest of this very poor film. For a film with such a short run time too, it didn’t half drag on and seems to have taken most of its plot points from other more well known (and much better) films. Now I know why this didn’t get shown in cinemas.
365Flicks (235 KP) rated Avengement (2019) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
Action (2 more)
Fighting
Scott Adkins
The Scott Adkins Movie we Have all been Waiting for!!!
Scott Adkins just had to go and step it up a notch with this Very Brutal, Very British, Hugely Funny and Fairly Orginal brit crime drama. Boasting a superb leading man performance from Adkins and a delightful supporting cast of top Brit talent.
All honesty I dont know if I was just in the mood for this type of flick when I watched it but it felt super fresh and it was a cast I know and love putting in stellar performances, the script is really tight and the way in which the movie flowed with flashbacks revealing Cains time inside was effortless. The fight cherography was as impressive as you might expect from seasoned pros like director Jesse V Johnson (long serving Stunt Performer) and Adkins. They never fell into the trap of the big hard hits being over the top everything was just on the money. Its all good having a brutal graphic fight scene but if it doesnt serve the plot or the charaters your wasting your time.
All honesty I dont know if I was just in the mood for this type of flick when I watched it but it felt super fresh and it was a cast I know and love putting in stellar performances, the script is really tight and the way in which the movie flowed with flashbacks revealing Cains time inside was effortless. The fight cherography was as impressive as you might expect from seasoned pros like director Jesse V Johnson (long serving Stunt Performer) and Adkins. They never fell into the trap of the big hard hits being over the top everything was just on the money. Its all good having a brutal graphic fight scene but if it doesnt serve the plot or the charaters your wasting your time.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Village of the Damned (1995) in Movies
Nov 16, 2019
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.
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.
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Mule (2018) in Movies
Dec 6, 2019 (Updated Dec 6, 2019)
Clint still going strong...
To see Clint Eastwood still going strong at the age of 89 is simply incredible, sadly this film is not some of his best work.
From the start the movie feels a little bit disjointed and a bit all over the place but if you can get past that and the blatant plot holes in the script, there is a half decent movie in there somewhere.
Clint Eastwood is solid as always as the 90 year old, politically incorrect Korean war veteran. However the very talented supporting cast including Bradley Cooper & Laurence Fishburne feel very restricted and underused, I can't actually believe Laurence Fishburne took this role if I'm being honest, as his screen time is very limited to say the least.
To sum it up if you are a Clint Eastwood fan like myself then on the whole, The Mule is a watchable and at times enjoyable movie. Although admittedly not his greatest piece of work, if this does indeed turn out to be his last movie then I think we can all safely say it has been one hell of a career for a true Hollywood legend.
From the start the movie feels a little bit disjointed and a bit all over the place but if you can get past that and the blatant plot holes in the script, there is a half decent movie in there somewhere.
Clint Eastwood is solid as always as the 90 year old, politically incorrect Korean war veteran. However the very talented supporting cast including Bradley Cooper & Laurence Fishburne feel very restricted and underused, I can't actually believe Laurence Fishburne took this role if I'm being honest, as his screen time is very limited to say the least.
To sum it up if you are a Clint Eastwood fan like myself then on the whole, The Mule is a watchable and at times enjoyable movie. Although admittedly not his greatest piece of work, if this does indeed turn out to be his last movie then I think we can all safely say it has been one hell of a career for a true Hollywood legend.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) in Movies
Feb 7, 2020 (Updated Feb 7, 2020)
Garish and frantic comic book movie basically does your head in for nearly two hours. Never mind doing a Batman movie without Batman, now they've done a Joker movie without the Joker: annoying homicidal pole-dancer Harley Quinn breaks up with he of the green hair and gets mixed up in a hunt for a diamond-shaped McGuffin involving various other obscure and mostly female Batman characters. Full of movement and some not bad action choreography, but the plot is a disjointed mess and it's hard to escape the impression that the producers are treating you like an idiot.
Robbie's performance is basically just irritating; not sure whether this is entirely intentional or not. Ewan McGregor is definitely just bad, but the script is to blame anyway: when the writers appear to believe it's cool and funny to break someone's legs on a whim, it's hard to take them seriously when they try to take the high ground on any moral issue, as they also do. Amoral, superficial, and sadistically violent in places; generally quite dim-witted and depressing. Undoes all the good work of recent movies in detoxifying the DC brand: come back Zach Snyder, all is forgiven.
Robbie's performance is basically just irritating; not sure whether this is entirely intentional or not. Ewan McGregor is definitely just bad, but the script is to blame anyway: when the writers appear to believe it's cool and funny to break someone's legs on a whim, it's hard to take them seriously when they try to take the high ground on any moral issue, as they also do. Amoral, superficial, and sadistically violent in places; generally quite dim-witted and depressing. Undoes all the good work of recent movies in detoxifying the DC brand: come back Zach Snyder, all is forgiven.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Little Women (2019) in Movies
Jan 7, 2020
Not my usual kind of movie, but I turn up for anything with Greta Gerwig or Florence Pugh involved in it. Happily this proved not to be the leaden piece of post-MeToo agitprop some of the advertising suggested, but a sensitive and subtle adaptation of a classic piece of literature (it says here). During and after the American Civil War, four sisters (Meg, Amy, Little Jo and Hoss) grow up and come of age, under the steely gaze of their Aunt Ben Cartwright (Meryl Streep). (I may be getting this mixed up with something else.)
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Castlevania - Season 1 in TV
Mar 20, 2020
The first season of Castlevania could be more accurately described as a 'teaser-season'. It's four episodes acts as a set up for what is to come, introducing us to the key players in the war between man and vampire.
The episodes run for around 25 minutes, meaning that the season has a limited time to establish what it needs to, and it does this pretty effectively. A decent script ensures that the three main protagonists Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis) are all immediately likable, and even gives an incredibly sympathetic villain in Dracula. There's also a nice sense of humour running underneath all of the dramatics.
The animation style shows signs of budget restriction on occasion, but for the most part is easy to take in. A lot of close ups on characters show off some nice detail, long shots of locations look great, as do the combat scenes. To darker colour choices work well with the gothic setting, and the frequent strong violence.
Above all, this short but sweet season leaves the viewer wanting more, which was surely the aim in the first place!
The episodes run for around 25 minutes, meaning that the season has a limited time to establish what it needs to, and it does this pretty effectively. A decent script ensures that the three main protagonists Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis) are all immediately likable, and even gives an incredibly sympathetic villain in Dracula. There's also a nice sense of humour running underneath all of the dramatics.
The animation style shows signs of budget restriction on occasion, but for the most part is easy to take in. A lot of close ups on characters show off some nice detail, long shots of locations look great, as do the combat scenes. To darker colour choices work well with the gothic setting, and the frequent strong violence.
Above all, this short but sweet season leaves the viewer wanting more, which was surely the aim in the first place!