Well the first episode obviously did some initial grounding of the characters and set the scene of what we can somewhat expect from HotD season.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I still can't get past 'Lord Corlys Velaryon' considering in the older times especially they kept in breeding as they didn't want their bloodline tainted. That is well known in the lore.
Back in GoT, Xaro Xhoan Daxos was a trader and fit well in the show, as did other ethnicities depicting different houses and regions. It just doesn't sit in the story well and is a clear token character to get a PoC into the main house. It would have been better to have a Meister role or other primary role but not Targaryen.
I always give new shows 3-4eps to either hook me or push me away, so we'll see what next week brings us.
Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia.
If anything, Hollywood has boiled that concept down to a science over the past few years, as this film is basically a summary of everything that’s wrong with the industry in a neat, 148 minute package.
It thinks it’s meta and self-aware by pointing out how cynical and cheap franchise filmmaking is.
That might sound similar set-up as 22 Jump Street, but this film proceeds to be cheap and cynical itself without saying anything substantial beyond its own set up, so it embraces what it’s trying to criticize.
Everything in this movie is structured as an excuse to show stuff you’ve seen before, there are little to no original concepts or ideas that push the franchise in an interesting direction.
It’s mostly a rehash of the first film (mixed with some stuff from Reloaded and Revolutions in the second half), except the action isn’t nearly as good, it’s more predictable and convenient, the performances are nowhere near as memorable (that’s what you get from replacing your 2 best actors), it looks uglier and more synthetic, the pacing isn’t as tight, and it’s a lot more dull because of how much it overexplains itself.
It also ditches the cyberpunk aesthetic, and replaces it with something a lot more bland and boring, stripping the franchise from a lot of its personality.
It’s honestly quite an accomplishment when you think about it: the original is one of the best, most successful, big budget films ever made that still maintained a strong artistic and alternative impulse.
This, on the other hand, couldn’t be any more lowest common denominator if it tried to.
It’s a parody of itself and modern blockbuster filmmaking.
I suppose that was Lana Wachowski’s goal to some extent, but it isn’t very compelling to watch.
3/10
The action sequences were solid, particularly the martial arts, and the casting and acting were also fine but the script is a mess, the pacing is off, and the second half feels goofy and disjointed from the first half. The second half action was difficult to follow and felt like a DC cluster f--- aimed at the Chinese market. HOWEVER, I am looking forward to seeing Shang-Chi utilized in the future films.
Before explaining why I liked this movie, I'd like to point out that the main idea of the movie is NOT that you need find your purpose to have a happy life. It's the exact opposite! I'm not saying this just to be a professor, but because it's really important and that's why I loved the film so much. You don't need to be fixated about something to find a meaning in your life. You need to savour it and learn to enjoy the little moments instead of waiting for something big to happen to reach happiness. It's so profound and refreshing. A movie just about a guy waiting for his big moment and feeling fulfilled after having reached it would have been dull, boring, trite and most of all wrong, like pretty much all "self-help" advices.
Instead the opposite idea is presented and if you just pay attention to the dialogues -and the story, really- you'll understand what I mean and most importantly what you might apply to make your everyday life better.
But back to the movie I've got to say I almost cried as the end was approaching as much as I was going to turn off the tv when the movie started. The whole initial setting reminded me too much of Inside Out, a film I quite disliked, so I was worried it was a copy of it (it kind of is in the beginning). But luckily the second half steered away from it and developed in one of the most moving film I've seen in a long time. Undoubtedly one of Pixar's best.
Awful writing, terrible acting, boring played-out story. I will say the cinematography and camera work was well done and made the movie finish-able. But trust me, I couldn't wait til it ended. There was no suspense, they didn't develop scares, and for a gory film..... it could've used more creative gore. A waste of time, unfortunately. I'm not sure what the people giving this movie good reviews are measuring this against, Sharknado?
Worst characters to centre a whole episode on. So much screaming and I couldn’t care who lived or died. Bypass this one
This episode was so dark I figured the Night King was attacking Winterfell
As good as the first film? No, not really, but then sequels rarely are. It was big and bold, but the story was a little weak. However, the movie is still very entertaining in parts, and while I perhaps wanted a little more plausibility, it may be that I had unrealistic expectations for a film of this sort. Great action, a delicious turn from Julianne Moore, a rocking soundtrack, and a mincing turn from Keith Allen (what, you expected me to say Elton?), made this a film I will go back to. So not as fresh or as funny as the original, but it could have been a lot worse. And remember, before you have a go at me for giving it a lower rating than others, manners maketh the man!
These people are idiots. It makes it really hard to watch this show.
Harmless movie loses its way when it veers off the hiking trail.
I loved the movie from 2013 but that movie was pretty boring. The first 5 to 10 minutes was a introduction to the characters (who are all great) but the rest of the movie was just a long boring fight/escape against/from the evil spirit.
The whole fight against the evil, what was around 95 % of the movie should have been the final 10 to 15 minutes, but not the full movie.
I liked the characters and the special effects were great. But I will rewatch the movie from 2013 again, but it was the first and last time I watched that movie.
Are these episodes getting shorter? I feel we went from 60->50->30min.
Last episode will be 30 seconds long.
You know... when people tell you to shut up... you shut the fuck up.
Also what is it with the 30 minutes.
"Why yes, I am a doctor. And while I came here alone -- for some reason -- in order to stock up on food, of course I'll gladly abandon that plan and abandon my vehicle and abandon my family so that I can follow you to some unknown place for an unknown amount of time before continuing to follow you elsewhere. And I won't insist on informing my family about any of this because that would make too much sense."
What makes this even better is the fact that it took all of about two minutes to be able to see that the lame reason given for leaving her car behind was, in fact, completely bogus. My guess is that we'll eventually find out that the writers NEEDED the car to be left behind as part of some future plot point. And as such, they preferred the scene that we get here since it allowed them to be lazy versus taking the time to come up with the same outcome while not being deeply stupid.
Aliens trying to eliminate humanity through boredom is not an interesting strategy.
5 hours in no alien in sight!!!! F this piece of crap boring ass show!!!
5th episode still following people around lol. Amazing Apple picked this up.
Aliens trying to eliminate humanity through boredom is not an interesting strategy.
Here we are at home again, and there's no doubt the game is on.
Nothing earth-shattering but still a solid setup and the CGI is top notch! Daemon shines every time he’s on screen. 8/10
It was a fun movie, not the best thing ever but yeah, you get what you expect
The ending was kinda sh*it though
One of the best solo MCU movies in a while. I went into this not knowing the story at all. I was highly entertained and not lost at all. Definitely worth the $12 at the theater!
An amazing movie, and a masterclass in storytelling and existentialism without beating you over the head with it.
Soul is another triumph for Pixar
About the meaning and purpose of life and trying to find yourself in there
Funny, Emotional and Fullfilling
If you love (american) football, you'll love this movie!
Really captured the boredom of lockdowns.
Kevin Costner plays an upstanding member of the community, avid potter and caring father who happens to moonlight as a schizophrenic serial killer. Costner is fine in the role but Demi Moore, who surfaces as the tomboy detective on his trail, is badly miscast. She's presented as a grizzled veteran of the force with several shades of action hero, but when we see the character in motion it's an awkward, stiff, uncomfortable exercise. Dane Cook is bafflingly tossed into the mix, too, as a wannabe killer who blackmails his way into private lessons with the master. The curious decision to take a serious role does him no favors.
There's some promise to the concept, but the script simply doesn't trust its viewers to work things out for themselves and delights in presenting, then abandoning, boatloads of trivial plot threads. Clearly written with a franchise in mind, it saves too much meat for later installments, which leaves this first chapter feeling thin and watered-down. Hammy, forced and predictable, with a fistful of groan-worthy clichés, it's akin to a bad season of Dexter.
After number two I thought the traps went a little faulty, didn't think they'd be fixed, but the saw franchise has made a come back, the rust has been removed, the traps are set again, the games have got better and pieces of the Jigsaw have been found. It's action, cast, story plot and twists are winning the game. If you think you've predict the ending like I did then think again because your In the game too. What's your confession?
Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan was just a fabulous experience. I definitely enjoyed the movie quite a bit from start to finish, and usually war movies aren't really my cup of tea (at least not anymore). However, cinematically, the entire movie is just a masterpiece. As a big movie buff, I could appreciate how meticulously crafted the whole movie was. It's so hard to create a movie like this within this genre while trying to remain "minimal", but Christopher Nolan accomplishes it in every sense of the word.
He seamlessly interweaves 3-4 different plot narratives/timelines, while using minimal amounts of exposition. He gives the viewer such a sense of a looming and foreboding threat, while never even having a Nazi soldier on screen at any time. He tells us "so much with so little" and allows the viewer to take in the conflict of each situation (and there are a lot of them) rather than point it all out to us. In that sense, you really feel like you're getting into the mind of each one of the soldiers/main characters when they are contemplating some very crucial decisions that literally determine life and death, for not just them, but many other men as well.
Nolan gives us continued development, closure and solid endings in each one of the tiny subplots that he sets off from the beginning. It's definitely a joy seeing how all the different plotlines intermingle with each other at the end especially with the civilian aspect added in. And, most importantly, he accomplishes all this in less than 2 hours (and by a damn good margin as well).
If you appreciate amazing direction, cinematography, and vision within a movie, this will be an absolute joy. It could definitely get Christopher Nolan that elusive Best Director Oscar come Academy Award season. I watched Dunkirk in 70mm, but, honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference, especially without being able to do a side-by-side comparison to a regular version. Overall, it didn't seem too different from the usual XD or IMAX type presentation at my local big theater. Still, the movie is a visual treat lending heavily to more practical effects that gives a nice sense of realism to it all.
Anyways, this gets a solid 9/10 from me, coming from a war movie curmudgeon. Watch it, and you won't regret it.
Needed more Channing Tatum. Fine enough, otherwise.
