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ace_in_space (38 KP) rated Here be Dragons in Podcasts
Jul 13, 2018
Amazing adventure
This show is well-written, with great voice acting and an intriguing plot. I binge listened to every episode that was out in like a day and a half. The characters are great and have an interesting dynamic. It's not all sunshine and roses, but then again, you wouldn't expect it to be when you're stuck on a malfunctioning submarine in the Bermuda Triangle.
David McK (3227 KP) rated Ice Station Zebra (1968) in Movies
Nov 24, 2023
1960s Cold War submarine based thriller, based on the novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, with this movie - I have heard - being so beloved of Howard Hughes that it aired on a Las Vega station he owned over 100 times during his lifetime.
The plot? Basically, a satellite containing stolen equipment has crashed in the arctic. The race is on to retrieve said equipment.
But who can be trusted?
The plot? Basically, a satellite containing stolen equipment has crashed in the arctic. The race is on to retrieve said equipment.
But who can be trusted?
Christopher Nolan recommended The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) in Movies (curated)
Alex (10 KP) rated Captain Sonar in Tabletop Games
May 2, 2019
A board game without turns!!
You hunt your opposing team in their submarine using sonar, drones and your wits.
You have to keep track of their movements you own subs position and condition. All in real time as players shout commands and damage conditions the game is chaotic and fast paced.
Teamwork will win the day.
My only negative is you need at least 6 players for this game to come alive.
You hunt your opposing team in their submarine using sonar, drones and your wits.
You have to keep track of their movements you own subs position and condition. All in real time as players shout commands and damage conditions the game is chaotic and fast paced.
Teamwork will win the day.
My only negative is you need at least 6 players for this game to come alive.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Hunter Killer (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
The Hunt for Red October. Crimson Tide. Das Boot. These are the some of the greatest submarine movies ever made. Hunter Killer is not on that list.
That’s not to say that this movie isn’t entertaining. Gerard Butler appears alongside a surprisingly well stocked cast including Academy award winner Gary Oldman, Emmy winner Michael Nyqvist, Common and Linda Cardellini to create a gripping experience that is high action and suspense throughout the entire film. But where it excels in action it falls short in story and character development.
The action begins right off the bat; and within 5 minutes of the opening credits two submarines are destroyed and the world is on the brink of World War 3. Commander Joe Glass (Butler), despite never having captained a submarine before, is field promoted into command of the USS Arkansas, considered a Hunter Killer submarine, and sent to investigate the missing subs. During the course of his investigation, he discovers that not all is what it seems. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and NSA Agent Jayne Norquist (Cardellini) are at the Pentagon with some issues of their own. Using a Navy Seal recon team, they’ve discovered that a Russian military coup is in progress and the only way to prevent a war is to rescue the captive Russian president. In the end, all three teams need to work together in order to steer the two countries away from being driven into a nuclear confrontation by a rogue Russian defense minister
To its credit, this movie is what it is. Pure, driven action with few breaks and absolutely no subplots or side stories. Despite there being three main teams within the film (the submarine, the recon team and the Pentagon team) all three are focused on the same objective and there is very little deviation from their respective missions. There’s no accompanying love story or unshown historical conflict between two characters. There’s not even much in terms of character development beyond the typical “old crew learns to trust new and unproven leader”. This is as close to a pure action movie as you’re going to get. Every single line, scene and character is used to further an explosion in some way or another.
This is the first big project for director Donovan Marsh who, prior to this, hasn’t had anything close to this quality of cast or this kind of budget. Hunter Killer has actually been tossed around the studios for a number of years with other notable directors including Tony Scott (Crimson Tide) and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) previously attached to the script. While it would have been exciting to see what either of those two could have done with this film, Marsh does manage to keep things alive by maintaining that constant stream of action and suspense. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be able to elevate the picture above that basic level. Despite an all-star cast who performed excellently, the movie remains essentially one-dimensional.
If you’re looking for a tense (Crimson Tide), intelligent (Hunt for Red October) submarine movie that looks a little more like a political thriller and a little less like an advertisement for the Navy, then this movie is not for you. However, if you’re in need of a bit more action and a lot less subtext, then Hunter Killer makes for a great night out full of explosions, amusing jokes and better acting than the dialogue really deserved.
That’s not to say that this movie isn’t entertaining. Gerard Butler appears alongside a surprisingly well stocked cast including Academy award winner Gary Oldman, Emmy winner Michael Nyqvist, Common and Linda Cardellini to create a gripping experience that is high action and suspense throughout the entire film. But where it excels in action it falls short in story and character development.
The action begins right off the bat; and within 5 minutes of the opening credits two submarines are destroyed and the world is on the brink of World War 3. Commander Joe Glass (Butler), despite never having captained a submarine before, is field promoted into command of the USS Arkansas, considered a Hunter Killer submarine, and sent to investigate the missing subs. During the course of his investigation, he discovers that not all is what it seems. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and NSA Agent Jayne Norquist (Cardellini) are at the Pentagon with some issues of their own. Using a Navy Seal recon team, they’ve discovered that a Russian military coup is in progress and the only way to prevent a war is to rescue the captive Russian president. In the end, all three teams need to work together in order to steer the two countries away from being driven into a nuclear confrontation by a rogue Russian defense minister
To its credit, this movie is what it is. Pure, driven action with few breaks and absolutely no subplots or side stories. Despite there being three main teams within the film (the submarine, the recon team and the Pentagon team) all three are focused on the same objective and there is very little deviation from their respective missions. There’s no accompanying love story or unshown historical conflict between two characters. There’s not even much in terms of character development beyond the typical “old crew learns to trust new and unproven leader”. This is as close to a pure action movie as you’re going to get. Every single line, scene and character is used to further an explosion in some way or another.
This is the first big project for director Donovan Marsh who, prior to this, hasn’t had anything close to this quality of cast or this kind of budget. Hunter Killer has actually been tossed around the studios for a number of years with other notable directors including Tony Scott (Crimson Tide) and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) previously attached to the script. While it would have been exciting to see what either of those two could have done with this film, Marsh does manage to keep things alive by maintaining that constant stream of action and suspense. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be able to elevate the picture above that basic level. Despite an all-star cast who performed excellently, the movie remains essentially one-dimensional.
If you’re looking for a tense (Crimson Tide), intelligent (Hunt for Red October) submarine movie that looks a little more like a political thriller and a little less like an advertisement for the Navy, then this movie is not for you. However, if you’re in need of a bit more action and a lot less subtext, then Hunter Killer makes for a great night out full of explosions, amusing jokes and better acting than the dialogue really deserved.
David McK (3227 KP) rated The Fate of the Furious (2017) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Somebody please tell me, at what point did a movie series about illegal street racing become a large, dumb, action blockbuster?
Because that's what this film is.
Don't get me wrong - I enjoy large, dumb, action block-busters!
Known in the UK as simply Fast and Furious 8, this one sees Dim - for reasons - turning against his former crew, leading to multiple car chases, explosions, fights, gunplay, muscle flexing and good cop/bad cop buddy buddy repartee between several of its core cast - the latter most noticeably between The Rock and Jason Statham, who now have their own spin-off movie - finally culminating in a long (20 minutes?) set piece across the frozen ice as they try to stop a stolen nuclear submarine from escaping to sea.
Because that's what this film is.
Don't get me wrong - I enjoy large, dumb, action block-busters!
Known in the UK as simply Fast and Furious 8, this one sees Dim - for reasons - turning against his former crew, leading to multiple car chases, explosions, fights, gunplay, muscle flexing and good cop/bad cop buddy buddy repartee between several of its core cast - the latter most noticeably between The Rock and Jason Statham, who now have their own spin-off movie - finally culminating in a long (20 minutes?) set piece across the frozen ice as they try to stop a stolen nuclear submarine from escaping to sea.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Abyss (1989) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
James Cameron makes his second appearance on this list with 1989’s The Abyss. This terrifying film that gave countless children nightmares for months follows a civilian diving team as they are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine. Unbeknownst to them, danger lurks in the deep when they encounter an alien aquatic species.
The special effects may look dated by today’s standards, but The Abyss is over 25 years old and still looks pretty darn good, even in 2019 when CGI has come on so far. Ed Harris puts in a fantastic performance and the eerie depths of the ocean are only matched by the blankness of space in modern-day sci-fi movies. Truly horrifying.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/08/films-set-at-sea-top-5/
The special effects may look dated by today’s standards, but The Abyss is over 25 years old and still looks pretty darn good, even in 2019 when CGI has come on so far. Ed Harris puts in a fantastic performance and the eerie depths of the ocean are only matched by the blankness of space in modern-day sci-fi movies. Truly horrifying.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/08/films-set-at-sea-top-5/
Awix (3310 KP) rated Fantastic Voyage (1966) in Movies
Dec 17, 2019 (Updated Dec 18, 2019)
Well-known sci-fi movie is too camp to take seriously, but scores points for inventiveness. Most of the plot is pure maguffinery, there to facilitate a) the central notion of miniaturised people floating around inside someone's body and b) Raquel Welch in a wetsuit (clearly they haven't quite cracked a method of miniaturising Welch's hair).
Vivid but not remotely convincing special effects, stolid performances from the cast, and a plot which really does have issues going on: the casting alone makes it very obvious who the traitor is going to be, while the climax conveniently forgets that the patient's convalescence is likely to be impacted by the presence of a full-size submarine inside his brain. It's watchable, not least for the groovy 60s stylings, but not as a serious drama.
Vivid but not remotely convincing special effects, stolid performances from the cast, and a plot which really does have issues going on: the casting alone makes it very obvious who the traitor is going to be, while the climax conveniently forgets that the patient's convalescence is likely to be impacted by the presence of a full-size submarine inside his brain. It's watchable, not least for the groovy 60s stylings, but not as a serious drama.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Republic (The Emperor's Edge, Book 8) in Books
Mar 11, 2020
I've had this book on my Kindle for a long time now. It was a gift from the author after signing up to her newsletter when she'd first released it, for fans of the Emperor's Edge series. And I was a big fan, steaming through all seven (really long) books, following the adventures of Amaranthe and Sicarius - and begging them to get together!
This one starts a few months after the events of Forged in Blood I & II, following just Amaranthe and Sicarius as they travel to a tropical island in a submarine, only things aren't as drama free as they were hoping and they get chased by the islanders after being recognised from a wanted poster of Sicarius. They quickly come up with one of their famous spur-of-the-moment plans and manage to evade them all and escape back to their submarine. Once back on board they get a summons from the newly appointed leader so they head home.
Back home, a giant carnivorous plant has started to grow in the cities harbour and is causing mayhem, growing rapidly and seeming to have a mind of its own. It doesn't like being cut, releasing a black mist with horrible consequences. Also back home, we meet up with old friends like Sespian and Maldynado and it feels like old times with the gang back together.
It was quite easy falling back into this series, though admittedly I couldn't remember half the cast apart from Amaranthe and her gang.
One thing I had forgotten about this was the use of unusual words to replace more boring ones such as 'verisimilitude' instead of...inspection, I guess is its easiest translation? It's a good job my Kindle has a built in dictionary or I'd have been stumped reading half of this book.
This one starts a few months after the events of Forged in Blood I & II, following just Amaranthe and Sicarius as they travel to a tropical island in a submarine, only things aren't as drama free as they were hoping and they get chased by the islanders after being recognised from a wanted poster of Sicarius. They quickly come up with one of their famous spur-of-the-moment plans and manage to evade them all and escape back to their submarine. Once back on board they get a summons from the newly appointed leader so they head home.
Back home, a giant carnivorous plant has started to grow in the cities harbour and is causing mayhem, growing rapidly and seeming to have a mind of its own. It doesn't like being cut, releasing a black mist with horrible consequences. Also back home, we meet up with old friends like Sespian and Maldynado and it feels like old times with the gang back together.
It was quite easy falling back into this series, though admittedly I couldn't remember half the cast apart from Amaranthe and her gang.
One thing I had forgotten about this was the use of unusual words to replace more boring ones such as 'verisimilitude' instead of...inspection, I guess is its easiest translation? It's a good job my Kindle has a built in dictionary or I'd have been stumped reading half of this book.
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Jun 30, 2020
Just when you think the Fast and Furious franchise couldn't get any more over the top, they go and prove you wrong again.
Story is pretty average fair for the franchise. Taking two of the most popular actors and giving them their own offshoot ended up working just fine.
A lot of the action scenes (island scenes in particular) are SO absolutely unreal that you are required to completely suspend reality for much of the duration. There's nothing wrong with that (I mean, racing a submarine as it breaks through the ice coming toward you had to be topped?) as long as that's what you're looking for.
As with the entire franchise, it's a mood movie. Not earth shattering, but still a good time if you allow it to be. If you're the type to nitpick plot holes and storyboard gaps, avoid.
Story is pretty average fair for the franchise. Taking two of the most popular actors and giving them their own offshoot ended up working just fine.
A lot of the action scenes (island scenes in particular) are SO absolutely unreal that you are required to completely suspend reality for much of the duration. There's nothing wrong with that (I mean, racing a submarine as it breaks through the ice coming toward you had to be topped?) as long as that's what you're looking for.
As with the entire franchise, it's a mood movie. Not earth shattering, but still a good time if you allow it to be. If you're the type to nitpick plot holes and storyboard gaps, avoid.