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X-Men '97: Remember It (2024)
Previously On X-Men
Oh my God. The way I laughed, cried and gasped in shock in this episode! As a fan of the original 90's animated series, this episode delivered the goods way beyond my expectations! The soap opera drama between Rogue / Gambit / Magneto set with the backdrop of a devastating attack, really nailed the emotional impact. Can't believe I have to wait another week for this, just like in the old days! Last week's episode was one of the weaker ones but this really brought things home with some continuation on the Jean/Scott storyline and developing these characters. I'm so thankful to be alive to experience this revival!
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
An exploration of identity, memory and humanity
"Blade Runner 2049" often feels like a visual symphony. While the runtime is eyewatering, it creates an immersive atmosphere that many fast-paced movies could only dream of. It's a slow burn yet every frame feels deliberate. The cinematic quality is indeed one of this movie's strongest suits.
The score is beautiful and weaves this sense of magnificence throughout the narrative. It's not just background music; it elevates every scene to creating an almost tangible texture. Make no mistake, It's very dystopian and dark!
Ryan Gosling. He really does carry the emotional weight of the film. He gives a nuanced performance that's both restrained and deeply expressive. Luv stands out as well, and the innovative concept of Joi brings a fascinating layer to the film's exploration of identity and desire in a world where the lines between reality and artificial are blurred.
There are some dialogue and some character depth issues - especially in the latter half of the film there were parts that didn't hit the mark as sharply. I also noticed several glaring plot holes and decided to ignore them, because the final scenes rounded out the experience with a sense of closure that I found very satisfying.
In all, I praise the cinematic craftsmanship. It's a film that lingers with you, not just for the story it tells but for the sheer grandeur of how it tells it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Still Want To Give It A Chance, But ...
Four episodes into it and the show continues to be plagued by the same problems, over and over.
It isn't the most terrible thing I've watched, but the pacing continues to be a letdown and there is almost no tension or excitement. The characters that actually are interesting, such as Halbrand, Isildur and Elendil suffer from a lack of compelling storylines and lazy world building. The dialogue is poor and even nonsensical at times... It becomes quite the snoozefest and I've hit the 10 second forward button a couple of times.
I felt like this is a show that deserves a chance and wanted to see where things go, but after four hours there's just very little to root for here. I'm not even sure what story the writers are trying to tell. Disappointing.
The Wilds (2020)
Binged In One Day
I'm really surprised at the amount of bad reviews and I think it might be because of the LOST comparisons. It was is a refreshing watch, and even more intriguing if you can suspend your disbelief for ten hours.
The Crown: Tywysog Cymru (2019)
Astonishing!
This was by far the best episode of season three. Heartbreaking story. Phenomenal acting!
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Overall, A Let Down
It was always going to be difficult, if not impossible to match up to Hill House.
But honestly there were so many issues with this series that could have been avoided;
Very annoying accents, silly dialogues, pointless storylines with poorly developed characters, the soap opera acting and the list goes on.
Not to mention the noticeable lack of any actual horror , which was a big disappointment for me given that Hill House was exceptionally executed as a horror series.
One huge positive has to Episode 5 - "The Altar of the Dead", which was a stellar, stand-out episode from start to finish. This contributed a lot to my overall 7.0 rating for Bly Manor.
The 100: Etherea (2020)
Still Too Much Story Left To Tell
I can only conclude that the writers want to tell much more than the amount of episodes left to do that, which isn't a bad thing in itself... but it's left me feeling a little worried about how the show will end. This was a good episode, I wish they had focused more on the Bardo storyline earlier on, instead of running into so many directions.
Dark: Adam und Eva (2020)
Trying to solve this...
Hurts my brain but it's SO MUCH FUN! This show is in a class of it's own, not just with how it keeps such complicated storylines on track, but the cinematography, musical score, the acting... Everything is on point. No fillers, just amazing storytelling.
The 100: Nakara (2020)
Dissapointing Filler Episode
After last week's amazing "Welcome To Bardo", which was such a big step up this season, I feel a little let down by this episode. Where last week really pushed the narrative forward, this week it felt like everything that happened in 40 minutes could have easily been resolved in half the time.
It was not bad at all, and the episode had a few brilliant moments nonetheless - especially that cold open which was EXCELLENT!!!
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Chapter Twenty-One: The Hellbound Heart (2020)
Started off a bit messy...
But by the end of the episode I was left wanting more. Loved the "Wizard of Oz" references!
The Witcher (2019)
Hits and misses, but enjoyable
It's a mixed bag, but I managed to get through all 8 episodes and enjoyed watching it. The writing can be sub-par at times - what could have been a fantastic story is often spoiled by cringeworthy dialogue. Nonetheless I will be back for season two! Not quite an 8, but a 7.5 for me.
Watchmen: This Extraordinary Being (2019)
Visually stunning!!!
A mind-bending episode, terrifying, and gut punching. But also beautifully shot and directed. One of the best so far! I'm loving this series
The 100: The Blood of Sanctum (2019)
Too Much For One Episode, Still Great!
I found the pacing to be a little bit choppy and not very good at building tension. But as always there seems to be plenty of new directions the show can go in to, and I cant wait to see what happens next!
The 100: Adjustment Protocol (2019)
Propulsive Storytelling at its finest
It's an incredible feat that the creators of this show can pull out an amazing episode like Adjustment Protocol, this late in the series! Everything about it was fantastic. The 100 now sits firmly among one of my all-time favourite TV shows!!!
The 100: What You Take with You (2019)
Emotional & Thrilling episode
Great forward plot-momentum, I can honestly say I have no idea where this is going! Thoroughly enjoyed the Bloodreina flashbacks and Octavia's inner reckoning. Clarke getting control back over her mind was a welcome surprise. The send off at the end for Kane was heartbreaking and emotional. All in all just a perfect The 100 episode by all counts!
The 100: The Gospel of Josephine (2019)
Excellent Episode!
What a great, well written episode! Josephine is such an instantly well developed character...
The pace is just amazing!!!
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Chapter Seventeen: The Missionaries (2019)
Gasp!!!
What the heaven was that!?? Well nothing officially makes any sense anymore but I dont care, Im going back for more!
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Chapter Fifteen: Doctor Cerberus's House of Horror (2019)
Excellent- best one so far!
The writing in this episode is so on point, the attention to detail is incredible. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Marvelling in Nostalgia
"The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods."
That right there was enough to give me a wet dream! Hyped as the X-Men movie that most fans have been waiting for (especially since X2: X-Men United back in 2003 was such a massive leap forward), as a big fan of the original comic series, it lived up to that hype in a BIG way!
What so many other super-hero movies fail to do, is to embrace both intimate melodrama and tongue-in-cheekiness to make a spectacular mix of intensity and fun, balanced with just the right amount of interesting characters. Another challenge that this movie masters well, is finding a character that the viewer will cheer for... it most definitely doesn't fall short. (Except for Sentinals. Sentinals are dicks.) Heck, even Tyrion Lannister, and Katniss Everdeen are in this movie! Generally, the faster I finish my popcorn the more exciting the film is, and I did stuff my face very quickly.
'Days Of Future Past' also continues the X-Men tradition of being politically and sociologically conscious and relevant, bearing a number of allegorical references that fit squarely with many issues faced in modern society.(Cue philosophical discussions here). The special effects are mighty, the humor is sharp and in abundance and the dialogue is alive & breathing. Even though the film is sometimes erratic, the paradoxes of time-travel are exhilarating and extremely fun to watch, despite the complexities. All-in-all it's a mind blowing blockbuster that knocks you out!
Sinister (2012)
I Did Not Like This Movie!
Since my childhood, I've been a fan of horror films. In recent years, the quality of horror films have dwindled and many films are recycled versions of older movies. How is a horror film measured, then?
Well firstly, it has to be scary. A horror must disturb, frighten, shock, surprise and make you cover your eyes. About 1 out of every 10 horrors manages to truly achieve this. Secondly, it has to be entertaining. "Sinister", recycled and clichéd as it is, fortunately is most of the former. I can't recall a film that made me feel so much dread, I almost couldn't bring myself to watch with full intent. The latter... it was most definitely not. I did not enjoy watching this film, ONE BIT.
So, when it comes to scoring "Sinister" I give praise to the director for terrifying the wits out of me, because that's what a horror is supposed to do! The imagery is very creepy from the start, and the diabolical character Baghuul is frighteningly twisted to say the least, and forgive me for adding - "pretty f***ed up." The director's last horror offering, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)" was almost equally disturbing in this sense. What Emily Rose had and "Sinister" didn't, though, was that enjoyment factor.... that 'kick' I get out of watching really good horror films. "Sinister" scary as it was, was too tedious. Aside from great acting by Ethan Hawke, I don't have any other praise for this movie.
Cut-above-the-average horror, disturbing & hair-raising - but not enjoyable at all. I dare you to watch it.
Just My Luck (2006)
Unoriginal formula for comedy romance
I admire movies that teach us little life lessons, and this is one of those movies. Lindsay Lohan once again is really good as a comedy actress and she delivers a fine performance in a movie that is OK. "Just My Luck" just doesn't pull out the stops, lacks new ideas and is ludicrous more often than funny or amusing. Hmm, lead-actor-geek turns gorgeous and stops wearing glasses while dazzling-lead-actress turns into a droop and they find love. I'm not so much uptight about the movie being silly, it's just very uninspiring. It could have been made for the sole purpose of promoting McFly in the USA
did their record company buy this movie? That wouldn't be so hard to believe. I really didn't like the McFly boys and wished that their parts in the movie be narrowed to mute cameos. Although "Just My Luck" is completely harmless and cute, I am happy to say that I will never sit through it again. If you liked this movie I would strongly recommend Freaky Friday or a McFly concert ;) Best bit: Lindsay out of luck and in jail: "Is this your floor too?"
King Kong (2005)
Wonderful to watch
This is your accidental (or is it?) kingdom of film trivia 'King Kong' combines and blends elements from Titanic, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Lord Of The Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Kong itself. A lovely dedication to all the monster movies ever made, even the monster ships. You can think of other, if you want. It has fine story telling and the actors are well cast in their roles, Jack Black really surprised me! Together with a spectacular 30's New York environment, it is emotional and touching making it a pleasure to watch, has superb sound editing, and awesome special effects that simply blew me away. Peter Jackson is a masterful director and despite Kong's under-performance with box-office success, he managed to create a gigantic movie. 'King Kong' is not entirely flawless, but it is a new classic by all means and should be regarded as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.
Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
The worst movie of the year!
I really don't have a lot to say about this movie, so I'm just going to fill the space. Yes it has crude humor, and yes it is funny. It even features the funniest (and possibly the scariest) moment I've ever seen
If you saw it, you know! All that, cramped into a wobbly plot line polished with cute and warm moments
It sucks, it is a waste of time and has no individuality whatsoever. 'Big Momma's House 2' killed a loving and damn funny character I used to dig like sha'moon. See the original again and forget about this piece of pooey. Did they cash in on this coz I don't remember? And Martin Lawrence should think about getting a new job now, I never really liked any of his movies anyway. If you liked this I would highly recommend Mrs Doubtfire.
The Break-Up (2006)
loved it hated it!
I was really confused with how I felt about this film because on the one hand I LOVED it! If not, it quite sucked. For me 'The Break-Up' was the most anticipating release in a while and I was disappointed, but very satisfied at the same time (I guess we have to understand what main theme this film is really aiming at). The reason why I was left content with the film: The fights! Oh, the fights! It drove me nuts but I loved it. The ending was suiting and unlike the viewer might suspect. I supposed it lacked some sharp humour for me and it wasn't bold enough. I wont forget to mention the very cool Vince Vaughn who pulls off some good acting, & Jennifer Aniston who I just adore. Not a great movie but there are some lessons to be learned and I urge you to watch it, even if its just guilty pleasure. It is after all, 'The Break-Up'
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Completely bare
I've read the book and the movie sucked. Plain and simple? The book is far, far more superior. I did go back and tried to look at the movie as something separate from the book and I came up with the following conclusions: The cinematography is visually stunning, and the movie is quite fast paced for its running-time which makes it more enjoyable. I loved the bits showing the precedent history the goddess statues and roman-like buildings. I wanted so much more of that! Sir Ian McKellan truly becomes his character and delivers a terrific performance; he's a brilliant actor. Tom Hanks has to win a razzie award for his role as Robert Langdon, he was dead. The script should be burned, and the scene where Sophie puts her foot on the pond's surface should be banned for its sheer embarrassment. 'The Da Vinci Code' is a cowardly film with no bones, just flesh & skin and completely fails to open up the door of discussion that it should have. Would also recommend National Treasure