![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/7b9/921f4b6c-268e-4342-a909-b8843f8557b9.jpg?m=1583101466)
JT (287 KP) rated The Reef (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Open Water saw two divers float around for ages before finally becoming lunch for a pack of hunting tiger sharks. Deep Blue Sea used CGI technology to create massive predators with a smart enough brain to devour the hapless crew of a scientific research station. And Shark Night 3D gave us blood curdling horror with half naked women thrown in for good measure. The Reef, encompasses most of the above minus the CGI. Here it’s replaced with clever and careful editing of one of the most beautiful but sinister creatures of the ocean….the Great White Shark.
A small group of friends, some with a past, get together on a yacht and hit the clear blue waters to deliver it to a waiting recipient. When it capsizes they are faced with the choice, swim for it to the nearest land miles away or wait it out on a potentially sinking vessel. Four members venture out leaving one behind, who after confessing he fishes the waters has no desire to get his feet wet, but excelling in scaring the shit out of his friends by telling them they all look like seals ready for the slaughter.
For any low budget indie film such as this creating tension when you have a location that looks exactly the same for miles in each direction is always going to be hard. But to his credit Andrew Traucki does extremely well in building up the entrance of our finned friend. Capturing the underwater viewpoint from Luke (the only one with a face mask) he dives down now and again to check the murky undertow for signs of life at the request of some very distressed friends. You’re always half expecting to see something but it never comes, until you finally catch a glimpse of the tail, and then your heart will race.
Of course this tension has to be sustained for the next forty-five minutes which is pretty hard. The acting is OK, made all the more effective by the fact that the cast is a bunch of relative unknowns. It’s hardly a surprise ending however, but given what Traucki has to work with he’s a produced good effort. There’s enough here to keep anyone happy, more so if you’re afraid of being left to die in miles of open water….oh, and you hate sharks!
![Vehicle Fun - Preschool Games](/uploads/profile_image/190/08252d30-bbf8-473c-921b-eb8ded05e190.jpg?m=1522323741)
Vehicle Fun - Preschool Games
Education and Games
App
~ The most exciting vehicle interactive games in the App-Store ~ ~~ A rewarding and educational...
![Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916](/uploads/profile_image/6fc/0521bee5-ee20-4b36-abed-4eb386a306fc.jpg?m=1522329371)
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Book
Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore...
![So You Think You Know About Britain?](/uploads/profile_image/304/a7d9913d-a975-4f67-98ad-804102aff304.jpg?m=1522323431)
So You Think You Know About Britain?
Book
When it comes to immigration, the population explosion, the collapse of the family, the north-south...
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/ba2/7f4c3e1b-6c0e-497f-9b04-74b770d30ba2.jpg?m=1612272784)
Justin Young recommended track Who Are You? by Void in Side B by Void in Music (curated)
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/2a2/12a9482d-403f-46fb-adfe-cad7a70c02a2.jpg?m=1575571265)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Underwater (2020) in Movies
Oct 18, 2020
I’ll start by admitting that I’ve never been a big fan of Kristen Stewart, with Twilight to thank for this rather negative opinion. However I’ve come to realise she’s actually a decent actress, especially in action packed films, and this really helped me to enjoy Underwater a lot more than I was expecting.
The action in this is virtually nonstop. There’s no lengthy or drawn out introductions, we’re submerged (literally) into the main plot of this film less than 5 minutes in and it continues in this vein throughout. It’s an edge of your seat thrill ride that’s tense and gripping, and there isn’t a dull moment. The horror aspect is rather well done and paired with the unknown and often claustrophobic circumstances the characters find them in and the very good score, it becomes quite a scary and nerve wracking film. The plot is decent and whilst the reveal on the cause of the earthquake isn’t entirely unpredictable, it still proves to be great entertaining.
Sadly despite my gushing, Underwater isn’t perfect. The biggest problem with it is the CGI and special effects. The props and set design themselves look good, but they’re let down when we’re shown these huge CGI underwater scenes that are meant to look impressive but instead look horrendous. I’d be interested to know how this looked on the big screen, but in a home setup it looks decidedly dodgy. And slow motion every time something explodes is cringeworthy.
Underwater also suffers from your typical survival film clichés. The plot itself is very typical of a survival film, and paired with ridiculous and predictable actions by underdeveloped characters, it lets it down. The cast too are also let down by the cliched characters, and even Vincent Cassel and John Gallagher Jnr are given little to work with. The only character that has had any development whatsoever is Stewart’s Nora, who is a decent and fairly likeable protagonist.
I really wish Underwater had a little more money thrown at it. If they had dramatically improved the CGI then I think this would’ve made for a cracking good sci-if/horror. The critical reception for this hasn’t been great, which surprises me as overall this is a very tense, nerve wracking and sometimes scary film that just falls short of being very good.
![i-Qi clock & meditation timer](/uploads/profile_image/253/65a80d3b-bacd-41b4-b024-f803f5cd8253.jpg?m=1522362453)
i-Qi clock & meditation timer
Health & Fitness and Productivity
App
The wake-up clock and timer with quality sounds will wake you up gently in “golden ratio"...
![Bubbu Cat – My Virtual Pet](/uploads/profile_image/f75/e2c574e2-30ac-4435-9b8d-1f9775f91f75.jpg?m=1522327133)
Bubbu Cat – My Virtual Pet
Games and Entertainment
App
Meet Bubbu, your new virtual pet. He is a cute, emotional and adorable cat who loves to eat tasty...
![jigsaw puzzle hd real games](/uploads/profile_image/f0b/b11363a1-bf2c-41e4-a0d3-7fa0f381ff0b.jpg?m=1522361515)
jigsaw puzzle hd real games
Games and Entertainment
App
Puzzles & Jigsaws is a beautiful jigsaw puzzle game. It is a highly addictive and relaxing pastime...
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/493/bfda8ad0-8292-4369-89cb-3e9fc02ca493.jpg?m=1561489153)
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Dogma (1999) in Movies
Jul 28, 2018
Acting: 10
Beginning: 8
Characters: 10
You want characters? This film has them by the boatload. Outside of the fallen angels, you will meet the likes of a woman who is the savior of humanity, a messenger from heaven, and an apostle holding a grudge just to name a few. Dogma is a melting pot of personalities and temperament which is a huge part of what makes the film such a good one. You are going to love Jay the Prophet. He is just plain hilarious. And Alan Rickman's dry sarcasm always makes for a good laugh.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
There are never any real lulls where the film gets boring. There is a lot of dialogue but the progression of the conflict keeps the film moving at a solid speed. I did dock a couple of point for a brief dead spot about an hour in, but there is pretty solid action and comedy throughout for the most part.
Genre: 7
There is a special scene where the characters are discussing a John Hughes movie. The dialogue builds and, before you know it, you're cracking up at every word they're saying. It's scenes like these that contribute to making the film a pretty solid comedy. If the strip club scene doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will!
Memorability: 10
The originality of the plot and the messaging help the film stand out in my mind among a sea of other movies I've seen. I appreciated the interesting introspection of faith and life. The Belief Vs. Ideas convo was another solid moment. Dogma is funny, but it gives you some things to digest as well.
Pace: 8
Plot: 5
While the plot is certainly intriguing, it was also a bit of a hindrance for me as it got confusing as all get out in certain spots. The struggle to find a short plot description above was real. Not sure what they could have done differently here, but there were certain spots where my experience was dampened by all the crazy stuff happening.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 82
With a solid cast (Ben Afleck and Matt Damon always work well together) and a number of memorable moments, Dogma is definitely worth a watch. Glad I can check this one off the list and add it to my favorites.