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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Money Monster (2016) in Movies
Jul 19, 2017
Chemistry (1 more)
Good direction
A good start
This is a very impressive directorial debut from Jodie Foster. The movie stars two of the best actors in the industry, Julia Roberts and George Clooney. The two of them have a believable and amusing chemistry and the other players in the story also work together to achieve what is a thrilling if somewhat predictable time. The movie is well directed, but the script could definitely be a bit tighter and could also perhaps hide the twists in a more subtle way, but there is a sense of tension throughout the movie and there is definitely some fun to be had, just don’t expect anything more than a fairly shallow but still exciting film.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Big Short (2015) in Movies
Aug 28, 2017
Does well with a difficult subject
Considering how difficult and complex the subject of this film is, Adam McKay has done a very good job of making this both understandable and entertaining. Yes you do have to think watching this, but they do their best to explain things in a fun manner and it helps that the film is injected with quite a lot of humour. The cast are fantastic and it has a great script. My only criticism is that there are a few bits that are still difficult to understand, and at the end of the day, these guys are the bad guys who profited from the financial crash, and yet you almost find yourself rooting for them.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated A Hundred Veils in Books
Sep 6, 2017
Pretty good book
So the book is set at the very beginning of the Iranian Revolution – Marco is an American English teacher who’s come to Iran for a year. While there, he falls in love with his roommate’s cousin. The book is really their love story, while surrounded by political and religious unrest.
The writing is excellent. I’m sure I would get more out of the book if I could read Farsi, as each chapter is begun by a few lines of poetry in Farsi, written in both Arabic script and English letters. But the pacing is perfect, the descriptions apt – I really enjoyed this book.
Read my full review at https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/book-review-a-hundred-veils/
The writing is excellent. I’m sure I would get more out of the book if I could read Farsi, as each chapter is begun by a few lines of poetry in Farsi, written in both Arabic script and English letters. But the pacing is perfect, the descriptions apt – I really enjoyed this book.
Read my full review at https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/book-review-a-hundred-veils/
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Abattoir (2016) in Movies
Aug 13, 2017
Absolute nonsense
Let's face it, I wasn't expecting much from a film that had gone straight to dvd/sky but i was hoping it could be fairly enjoyable like Thirteen Ghosts or House on Haunted Hill, however this was when worse than I ever would've thought. The acting and script was awful, it was ridiculously cheesy and the plot made no sense whatsoever. Even talking it over after the film, we couldn't figure out what on earth was going on and why. There's also the fact that the plot summary gives away the main part of the film and this doesn't actually appear on screen until there's only around 20 minutes remaining. And the film's title Abattoir is a little misleading and maybe slightly misused.
Kevin108 (2 KP) rated Alien: Covenant (2017) in Movies
May 5, 2018
Visuals (2 more)
Sound/music
Michael Fassbender's dual roles
Script (2 more)
Overall story
Character choices
So much potential...
I will admit to being in the minority of those who enjoyed Prometheus. Flawed? Yep. But at least it was trying something new and wasn't a strict retread of Alien. It offered some thought-provoking ideas, great performances, amazing visuals and some genuine sci-fi terror.
Then comes Covenant. The shame is that instead of it being Prometheus 2 it became Alien 5, offering nothing new to the table.
Some of the performances are great, particularly Michael Fassbender (nothing new) but the characters make stupid decisions, the story is built on too many coincidences and it all feels like something you've already seen and seen done better.
Then comes Covenant. The shame is that instead of it being Prometheus 2 it became Alien 5, offering nothing new to the table.
Some of the performances are great, particularly Michael Fassbender (nothing new) but the characters make stupid decisions, the story is built on too many coincidences and it all feels like something you've already seen and seen done better.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Unforgettable (2017) in Movies
Apr 14, 2018
Completely unnecessary
Theres a fun sense of irony with the title of this film, in the sense that it is actually entirely forgettable. You’ll never go out of your way to watch this again.
Let’s be honest, this kind of plot has been done numerous times before and has been done much better (Fatal Attraction?). It isn’t particularly unique or shocking and there’s nothing in this that’s even that creepy. It’s no wonder Katherine Heigl hasn’t done a lot of work recently, as her acting in this is atrocious and so wooden. She may not have had a lot to work with in the script, but it could’ve been so much better. And the sinister ending was just plain silly and unnecessary.
Let’s be honest, this kind of plot has been done numerous times before and has been done much better (Fatal Attraction?). It isn’t particularly unique or shocking and there’s nothing in this that’s even that creepy. It’s no wonder Katherine Heigl hasn’t done a lot of work recently, as her acting in this is atrocious and so wooden. She may not have had a lot to work with in the script, but it could’ve been so much better. And the sinister ending was just plain silly and unnecessary.
Villainous Vee (53 KP) rated Green Book (2018) in Movies
Mar 5, 2019
Casting (2 more)
Script
Feel Good
So I went into this movie only ever having seen the trailer before another movie and so I was expecting some action film about a bodyguard.... HOW WRONG WAS I!!
This film was beautiful, heart wrenching in places, down to earth and a complete joy to watch.
There is such a journey during this movie both physically and metaphorically, between the two main characters, and watching their relationship grow was humbling and beautiful.
So even though this was not what I was expecting I think it ended up being so much more and I would urge anyone who had even the slightest though of 'oh that looks interesting' to take the leap and watch it when you get a chance.
This film was beautiful, heart wrenching in places, down to earth and a complete joy to watch.
There is such a journey during this movie both physically and metaphorically, between the two main characters, and watching their relationship grow was humbling and beautiful.
So even though this was not what I was expecting I think it ended up being so much more and I would urge anyone who had even the slightest though of 'oh that looks interesting' to take the leap and watch it when you get a chance.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) in Movies
Apr 9, 2019
Michael Rennie is magnificently detached but humane in this parable about an alien visitor arriving in early-50s Washington DC. He brings an important message from the galactic community, but is met with only paranoia and petty squabbling amongst the people of Earth.
Unusual amongst the early-50s flying saucer movies in not featuring malevolent aliens, although given this is famously an allegory for the life of Christ, Klaatu is a surprisingly ambiguous figure, and the film's subtext is not nearly as liberal as you might expect: the message is an authoritarian one, 'do as you are told, or else'. Still a classic of the genre, with striking, much-copied special effects sequences and music, a literate and thoughtful script, and terrific performances and direction.
Unusual amongst the early-50s flying saucer movies in not featuring malevolent aliens, although given this is famously an allegory for the life of Christ, Klaatu is a surprisingly ambiguous figure, and the film's subtext is not nearly as liberal as you might expect: the message is an authoritarian one, 'do as you are told, or else'. Still a classic of the genre, with striking, much-copied special effects sequences and music, a literate and thoughtful script, and terrific performances and direction.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Jurassic Park (1993) in Movies
May 20, 2019
The perfect Blockbuster?
To make this clear, Jurassic Park is easily in my top 10 films of all time.
I saw it when I was young - maybe 7 or 8 years old, not too long after it came out, so one might argue that there is an element of nostalgia reflected in my opinion, but honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I never tire of it, and all these years later, the effects still stand up, which is an incredible achievement considering it came out in 1993!
The whole cast are just great, the script is solid, and the score is an all time classic - John Williams smashing it out of the park again.
An all time classic.
I saw it when I was young - maybe 7 or 8 years old, not too long after it came out, so one might argue that there is an element of nostalgia reflected in my opinion, but honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I never tire of it, and all these years later, the effects still stand up, which is an incredible achievement considering it came out in 1993!
The whole cast are just great, the script is solid, and the score is an all time classic - John Williams smashing it out of the park again.
An all time classic.