Movie Review: Jurassic World: Kingdom (2018)

Plot: When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Jurassic World is a damn fine movie, even though it is technically a sequel and almost the 8^th (under correction) of the entire franchise. It doesn’t suffer from repetitive writing and its success comes from the fact that the writers and directors knew that they shouldn’t spend too much time on Isla Nublar, and that they should move their cast as fast off the island as possible and continue elsewhere. There is also the considerable charm of Chris Pratt, as well as the beautiful and talented Bryce Dallas Howard, who returns as Claire, the previous operations manager at Jurassic World, and approver of the Indominus Rex.

It is three years after the destruction of Jurassic World, and the dinosaurs are facing extinction again. A volcano is set to erupt on Isla Nublar and take all the now de-extinct dinosaurs with it. Lobbyists are protesting the rights of the dinosaurs, and it is clear that the government does not feel that the dinosaurs deserve the same protection as other endangered animals. Some might say that you can’t really blame governments for adopting this stance. Dr. Iam Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is prepared to say that maybe the universe is sorting out this problem and correcting the mistake Jon Hammond made by making dinosaurs breathe again. Claire is leading a lobby group, and just when she thinks that the dinosaurs can be saved, the government says they are just not doing it.

She is given a lifeline when she’s contacted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), Jon Hammond’s previous cloning and business partner. They had a falling out, and the reason is later revealed as a handy plot device which I won’t be telling you. Lockwood, aided by Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) organizes a convoy to Isla Nublar to save some dinosaurs, and they enlist Claire’s help and that of Owen Grady (Pratt) to especially track the very intelligent Blue, the only remaining velociraptor on Isla Nublar. (They say Blue is the second most intelligent thing on the earth, and I disagree, he’s probably first and humans the fifth)

The convoy heads off to the beautiful and now smoking island, and ulterior motives from some are soon revealed. Double crossing and dangerous behavior is the game of the day and it is soon evident that the worst creature on Isla Nublar is in fact not any of the dinosaurs.

The support cast is fantastic. Justice Smith (as Franklin Webb) provided a number of hilarious moments with his complete freak out in any and every situation. It was a great decision to include this character and actor, and balances things nicely with the hyper-masculine Owen Grady on the other side.

Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez is a great addition and helpful to bring some female power to the group. She’s straight to the point and a genius and I really liked that she was so integral to the story while not getting some stupid love story to dumb her down.

Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood, granddaughter of Benjamin Lockwood, was adorable and managed to remain a big part of the story.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom starts a little choppy, and the hearings at government feels insincere, but it finds it feet fast as soon as the original duo take over the acting of the film. It is a much darker version of its predecessor, and much different than I expected. There are some moments where I really jumped and squealed and wanted to pack some dinosaurs in my backpack and run away. I don’t want to give too much away, but some of the villains are so creepy that they could have a spinoff and just be villains (well they could have had). There’s lovely footage in the film of Owen Grady bonding with Blue, showing the remarkable intelligence of the Velociraptor, and that was done beautifully. It is a strict reminder that animals aren’t cruel because they are malicious, their actions are nothing but instinct, whereas their human counterparts will eternally find ways to destroy and hurt anything “lesser” than them.

I still think Pratt and Dallas-Howard have zero chemistry, they seem terribly suited even in the film.  They just seem so incompatible and not really comfortable with each other. Big up to the producers who put Dallas-Howard in sensible shoes this time, and didn’t have her running around after dinosaurs in heels like in the first film, because the smack down they received for that took away from a really entertaining film.

The handy plot device is a clear move to keep our main characters morally clean in what happens towards the end of the film. Some might say it was poor writing and an easy out, and some may be right. However, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the Fallen Kingdom is wildly entertaining, thrilling and a good way to keep the franchise alive.

Rating: 8.10

June 19, 2018 by Natasha Categories: 2018, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Daniella Pineda, Dinosaurs, Eli Mills, Fallen Kingdom, Indominus Rex, Indomunus Rex, Isabella Sermon, Isla Nublar, JA Bayona, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Hammond, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Justice Smith, Owen Grady, Rafe Spall 4 Comments

Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – Spoiler free –

Plot: The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Well. I knew I had to get to cinema to watch Infinity War immediately after its release or else risk this film being spoiled by the internet for me. We’ve been waiting ages since the slightly lacklustre Age of Ultron for another instalment of the all powerful Marvel ensemble cast to once again fight some massive celestial being. Finally reunited, the Avengers and all their new superhero friends are forced to take on Thanos, the biggest and baddest of them all, who is also in running for the worst dad of all time to Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan). Thanos (voiced by Josh Brolin), is collecting the Infinity Stones, very powerful stones (obviously), and you don’t need a comic book background to know that it will be really bad when this genocidal maniac gets hold of all six stones. It’s no spoiler that some of the stones are in the possession of a few Avengers, and they do an ultimately dismal job in protecting them. You will have to watch it if you want to know what happens at the end, but it was neither comfortable nor a quietly satisfying end.

Infinity War takes an age to get their superheroes together, which is not surprising, since they decided to include a massive amount of their star power in the film. Since Age of Ultron the original Avengers have scattered and hidden, and they aren’t all super happy with each other. Tony (Robert Downey Jnr.) is still happy by being managed by Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is still dealing with the devastating destruction that happened in Thor: Ragnarok. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson, this time blonde), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, with deliciously longer hair) and Sam Wilson (Anthonie Mackie) are still (I think) in hiding. They all fall in at different stages of the film, and my sold out cinema was cheering as each original Avengers cast member was reintroduced.

It’s impossible to write a short and concise review of the movie and to discuss the stars, because (nearly) the entire Marvel universe is in the film. However, here are a few thoughts on some of the characters:

Vision (Paul Bettany) comes across as awfully wimpy and I don’t know how he was intended as a superhero in this film. He seems to just be there, and his moments of action aren’t all that action packed.

If I could have had more of Danai Gurira as Okoye I would have, because she just has the best attitude and lines. Also good seeing T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), but after the enormous success of Black Panther I would have loved to see more of the man.

It is the first film where the Three Chris-es are combined – Pratt, Evans and Hemsworth have so much charm between them it is a wonder that they aren’t combined an Infinity stone themselves. There is delightful moments full of humour when Starlord meets Thor and needs to deal with all that muscle. I’ll just say that there is a moment when Thor arrives that made me very, very thankful.

Thanos has character depth, and that is something that hasn’t always been present with Marvel villains. He has layers and there are times when he actually almost makes sense, his reasoning behind his warlord status. There were a few moments where I legitimately felt sorry for him, and then had to remember what he had done.

I have some issues with the ending (really, who doesn’t at this stage?). I don’t want to say too much, but I really hope that they are planning to address some… events… in the next Infinity War instalment (there better be one), because they can not just do what they did. I am REALLY excited for the post credits scene, and I am optimistic that that will mean something overall for the drama levels in the last ten minutes of the film.

I liked Infinity War, except that ending. Thee CGI is insane and everywhere again, and that as well comes as no surprise – I mean, Josh Brolin doesn’t really look like that, does he now? It is really long, again though, expected, and full of emotional upheaval. If you haven’t watched it yet and you really dislike spoilers, I suggest getting to a cinema soon. It’s a bit off the normal route for Marvel, and they’ve taken big risks, but if you look at the crowd response rate you can rest assured that Marvel has another hit on their hands.

Rating: 7/10

April 29, 2018April 29, 2018 by Natasha Categories: 2018, Avengers, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infitity Stone, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper, Bruce Banner, Captain America, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Dr. Stephen Strange, Drax, Gamora, Groot, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man, Joe Russo, Karen Gillan, Mark Ruffalo, marvel, Natasha Romanoff, Nebula, Pepper Potts, Robert Downey Jnr, Rocket, Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan, Spiderman, Stan Lee, Star Lord, Steve Rogers, T'Challa, The Avengers, The Hulk, Thor, Tom Holland, Tony Stark, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana 2 Comments

Read, Watched, Loved: May 2017

 

Hey everybody! This post is going up super late this month – I was happily scheduling away on here and didn’t notice that I still hadn’t put this guy up. So as usual, here’s my monthly rundown (but for May). Let me know what you’ve seen and haven’t seen, and just generally how you are 🙂

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (2017) – I don’t think anyone was able to hate this film. It was buckets of fun, and I really have such a soft spot for Baby Groot (who doesn’t?). It is similar to the first film but bigger and more of the formula that worked. The plot wasn’t as solid as the first, but I was able to have a fantastic time regardless of that.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) –I liked this movie so much that when I wanted to initially write a quick blurb for here I ended up writing out the review. It is a wonderful film. I am now convinced I need a Mr. Darcy. He’s difficult and worth it. The adaption is fantastic and the chemistry between the leads is amazing.

Sweet home Alabama (2002) – I watched this as a young person – maybe at around 21 years or so, and really enjoyed it. I have such love for Reese Witherspoon, she truly is a beautiful and talented woman. Her character has the terrible task of choosing between Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey, and this movie has humor and heart to it.

Jackie Brown (1997) – I watched this for Tom and Mark’s Decades Blogathon.It is one of the few Tarantino films I hadn’t seen as yet, and found it a great pleasure to watch.

The Host (2013) – I just had to watch this film again to compare source material to it. It is not as unforgivably bad as the internet make it out to be, and I had a rather enjoyable time watching it.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice is a slow read, that is no lie, but I enjoyed it so much. It is a wonderful, wonderful book with many events and excellent character development. It also gave me yet another book hero to attach strongly to.

Three Fates – Nora Roberts: I reviewed this before and seemed to have a good thing to say about it. Strange, because I don’t remember loving it so much. I am having a really good time rereading it again though, it is truly Nora Roberts and some good and light reading.

The Host – Stephanie Meyer: I’m not sure whether the I was a masochist or just seeking enjoyment without thinking too much about it, but I decided to pick up The Host again. It is okay and certainly better than Meyer’s previous novels. It raises some moral questions and has interesting theories despite some slow parts.

What did you do this month?

June 28, 2017June 12, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Books, Fun, Movies, movies, reading, Review, ReviewsTags: 2017, Bradley Cooper, Brenda Blethyn, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Donald Sutherland, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Jackie Brown, Jake Abel, Jane Austen, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Max Irons, May, monthly rundowns, Movies, Nora Roberts, Nora Roberts Three Fates, Pam Grier, Patrick Dempsey, Quentin Tarantino, Rosamund Pike, Samuel L. Jackson, Saoirse Ronan, Stephanie Meyer, Sweet Home Alabama, The Host, Three Fates, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana 7 Comments

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Plot: Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

The Original Guardians of the Galaxy was celebrated far and wide as original, refreshing and pretty much different from any normal Marvel film. I mean we love them, but they aren’t necessarily ground breaking in the stories they tell. I agreed mostly, but I also still felt that everyone and their grannies took the hype too far. Regardless of my opinion, the first film was a runaway success and since it is Marvel, a second one was inevitable.

The sequel is in many ways an equal to original. Chris Pratt is Chris Pratt and the lovable and very attractive goofball. He is still surrounded by his team – Gamora (Zoë Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). They acquire more recruits this time – Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). It is starting to feel like the Space Avengers with such a large cast going on here, but I very much doubt that the majority of the audience worries about that too much.

Plenty of things work – Dave Bautista’s literal minded Drax gets more dialogue and the things he says is what we think without saying it, making the situations he’s placed in quite hilarious. Telling the creepy Mantis she’s probably beautiful on the inside was quite funny and painfully blunt. Baby Groot is emotional manipulation – he’s so cute he could have danced the duration of the film and I would have liked the movie. Chris Pratt loses his shirt and I couldn’t complain about it. The directing is colorful and bright and suits the upbeat tone of the film. The dialogue is relatable and funny, the banter between the team easy and seemingly sincere. The soundtrack is a lot of fun and a continuation of the first film. Sylvester Stallone shows his face and boggles the mind that he’s still looking smoking when he is six hundred years old now.

What lacks is an actual plot. The writers focused on the one thing left unanswered in Volume 1 – Starlord’s patronage. Enter Kurt Russel, cool old-dude extraordinaire, as Ego the Living Planet. He’s not much of a villain with a lot of ego and little grey areas, and it is pretty clear quite quickly that he doesn’t want the best for his son. There are also gold people, led by Elizabeht Debicki’s Kismet, who are angry that Rocket stole shit from them and are now determined to wipe out the team. It’s a pretty weak story, sloppy in places and lazy writing. It doesn’t particularly fit into the Marvel Universe that has so carefully been crafted. Some redemption is provided by the presence of Baby Groot, the fights between Starlord and Rocket and the chemistry between Starlord and Gamora. I also didn’t particularly appreciate how every bad guy last time was sympathized with this time around – Nebula (Karen Gillan), the conflicted sibling of Gamora, is the grayest character of the lot. Her hatred towards her sister is based on her robotic punishment as a child, and we don’t really blame her, but was it necessary to include it so much again into the second film? Yondu remains damn cool and everything for a blue guy, and Michael Rooker is cool enough to be him, but again, so much unnecessary things in this film piled it up to one long watch. I appreciated the cameo by Sylvester Stallone, but really, was it necessary?

I enjoyed GoTG II. It is not a particularly strong film but it is fun and really funny. Marvel took a chance changing so much from their usual formula, and despite following some of their renowned plot moves, it is still the most original work they’ve done in a while.

A 7.5/10 for me

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2? What did you think of it?

May 10, 2017May 9, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2017, Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Drax, Ego the Living Planet, Elizabeth Debicki, Gamora, Groot, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kismet, Kraglin, Kurt Russel, Mantis, marvel, Michael Rooker, Movies, Nebula, Pom Klementieff, Reviews, Rocket, Sean Gunn, Stan Lee, Star Lord, Sylvester Stallone, Vin Diesel, Yondu, Zoe Saldana 10 Comments

Watched, Read, Loved: January 2017

I’m not going to bless you with that whole “how quick did this month go” crap, because let’s face it; January 2017 took its sweet time being done. At this stage I’m so deliberately avoiding bitching about politics on here, but please note that I do a whole lot of bitching in private about that man who is committing genocide.

I had my birthday on the 25^th. I am now officially on the wrong side of 25. I’m 27, so I’ve already been on the wrong side for a whole year, but I was ignoring that at 26. Apart from suddenly stressing about retirement plans and the meaning of my entire existence, I’m not too stressed. I have decided that 27 good things WILL happen to me this year, so I will keep you in the loop.

Here is what I got up to this month, which is an impressive amount! #GoMe

Movies watched:

10 Things I hate about you:

Confession time: if I had to go live on an island indefinitely with only ten movies to watch, I’d very likely pack 10 Things I Hate About You in.  I love everything about this film – how 90’s everything is: Julia Stiles’ hair, the clothes everyone wore, the music and the cars. I die every time Heath Ledger gifts us with that smile; it is equal parts pain and pleasure. The quick bantering and the ridiculous teenage humor make me laugh every single time. I actually wrote a post about how much I love this film, so I won’t turn it into a whole review here, but I’m sure you are getting the point here that I love this film.

How to lose a guy in ten days: Kate Hudson used to be my ultimate girl crush as a teenager – she’s so pretty and preppy and blonde. I’m now at a point where I want actresses to be more than pretty, preppy and blonde, but I still find her a good romantic comedy lead. She wouldn’t hold up in more serious roles, but these? I’ll cast her any day. It also contains the delicious Matthew M.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): I finally managed to finish up my Blindspots for 2016. To round the year of with To Kill A Mockingbird was a great idea – what an incredible film.

Passengers (2017): These films with the strange release dates make it impossible to put them in the correct year. I watched in this year, hence this year will be referenced. I actually really liked it and think that the Oscar nod for set design is well deserved. I know it didn’t go down well with everybody, but I actually quite enjoyed it despite the numerous flaws.

Fool’s Gold (2008): This falls in the time frame where Matthew McConaughey became the romantic comedy guy, something which still grates on a lot of people today. I do think that Fool’s Gold lacks certain important things like a proper plot, but I didn’t hate it at all.

Scream 4: I finished up my run on the Scream franchise this month. I am so sad! Because while I can definitely watch it again, I won’t ever be able to watch it for the first time again. I’m only posting this for Halloween, because I’d love to actually do a Halloween month this year, but please know that I did love this so much!

Sicario (2015): Don’t you just love when a film is good enough to inspire you to read up on what you are watching? Shortly after the film ended I read up all about Juarez, Mexico, and the increasingly dodgy sounding CIA. Sicario is a great film that stays with you after you watched it and I will definitely be revisiting Denis Vileneuve’s film in the near future.

The Princess Diaries:A Royal Engagement (2004): I remember this as a decent movie, which it was NOT. I adore the first Princess Diaries, but the sequel suffers from the sequelitis and it is rampant with bad acting, bad pacing and general badness. The years have been kind to Chris Pine – he is so much more attractive right now than he was in 2004.

Love, Rosie (2014): I’m still trying to formulate some thoughts on Love, Rosie. Did I like it? Moderately so. I know for a fact that it contains some of the most awkward of scenes ever invented, and I was horrified and cringed so much. It gets a little drawn out and the story is never really strong. I do think that Sam Claflin is simply beautiful and that if just smiled all the time the world would be a better place.

Vrou Soek Boer (2014): I got my fix of Afrikaans films with Vrou Soek Boer in January. It translates to “A woman is looking for a farmer” but it was a much cuter film than that translation suggested. I enjoyed it very much!

Sisters (2016): This is surely the biggest waste of cash of 2016 for me. I bought this on DVD, sure I would at least like it okay. Nope. I hated it. What a stupid, unfunny film.

The Accountant (2016): To embrace my mood of needing to watch people beat up things I picked up the Accountant. Ben Affleck’s hit of 2016, where he is an autistic superhero, fulfilled that need on some level but I was also left feeling vaguely unsatisfied with the ending.

Series:

The X-Files Season 1: I am having so much fun with the X-files. There is nothing better when you discover a series and along with the discovery is the fact that there are so many seasons with a lot of episodes per season. SCORE! It took me a few episodes to get used to the layout of the show as well as the whole 1992 vibe the first season has going for it. It is pretty good and smart, as well as some funny conspiracy moments going on.

Alias Season 3: Alias has been great to me. I still need to finish Seasons four and five. I had some issues with the third season such as Sydney being a complete psycho, but overall still really great.

True Blood Season 1: I’ve been in the mood torewatch this for a while now. After watching a few episodes that need was cured because True Blood has some grating characters in that I somehow softened in my memory. I might still finish it, but right now there are other better shows that deserve attention.

Books:

The Collaborator (Margaret Leroy): Few books have stayed with me like this book has. I’ve had the worst book hangover since then and such troubles finding another book to seek my teeth into.

The Road to the Sea (Ciara Hegarthy): I’m going to go rampant on this book when I finally review it. Overly descriptive and insanely boring, this is one of the least favorite novels I’ve picked up in a while.

The Power of Six (Pittacus Lore): I’m almost done with Book Two in the Lorien Legacies. Although I am still enjoying, the first read and progressed a whole lot better.

What have you been up to?

February 7, 2017February 7, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Movies, reading, Review, Series, UncategorizedTags: 10 Things I hate about you, 2017, Alias, Amy Poehler, Anna Kendrick, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Benico Del Toro, Bok Van Blerk, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, Ciara Hegarthy, Emily Blunt, Fool's Gold, How to Lose A Guy In Ten Days, January, Jennifer Lawrence, JK Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin, Kate Hudson, Lika Berning, Lily Collins, Love, Love Rosie, Margaret Leroy, Matthew McConaughey, monthly rundowns, Nico Panagio, Passengers, Pittacus Lore, Sam Claflin, Sicario, Sisters, The Accountant, The Collaborator, The Power of Six, The Princess Diaries, The Road to The Sea, The X-files, Tina Fey, To Kill a Mockingbird, True Blood 11 Comments

Movie Review: Passengers (2017) – CONTAINS SPOILERS –

Plot: A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.

Rating: 6.5/10

– CONTAINS SPOILERS –

When a movie gets trashed second after it was released, it is safe to assume that it is either:

• The movie is legitimately a terrible film
• The movie didn’t live up to its’ expectations and delivered something else
• The critics hated the film because of some petty reason

Passengers is somewhere between two and three. The film’s last hour and half (perhaps more than that) is a romantic drama film set in space. I’m sure that upset a number of people who might have expected a Sci-Fi film. I also think the hate train might have been loaded to capacity with people reacting unnecessarily harsh to a moderately decent film because everyone was doing so.

The majority of the film is spent exploring Jim Preston and Aurora Lane’s horrified realization that they woke up on their spaceship way too early to reach their destination, Homestead II – 90 years too early. Aurora suffers another setback when she’s made aware by the barman-robot Arthur (Michael Sheen) that Jim (Chris Pratt) deliberately woke her up and that her pod didn’t malfunction. She’s understandably very upset with this death sentence but is forced to put it aside when the ship starts acting erratically and it becomes clear that no one on the ship will arrive at Homestead II if they don’t find the source of the problem. Captain Gus Mancuso (Laurence Fishburn) wakes up in time to conveniently steer Jim and Aurora in the right direction.

I enjoyed the scarcity of people in Passengers. Chris Pratt and his female equivalent Jennifer Lawrence make a charismatic team. Pratt is able to accurately portray the loneliness of Jim’s life in the year before he wakes Aurora up. Aurora (Lawrence) is different in nature than Jim. She’s a writer and immediately begins to report her life on the ship. She initially refuses to believe their fate and is forced to accept eventually that Jim is speaking the truth. Michael Sheen is able to be a convincing robot, keeping his facial expressions carefully contained. Fishburn is the last character that enters the film was a good captain if you are able to look past the fact that it is amazing that the captain woke up and not someone else. The film is scarcely populated and it works well.

The film also looks really good. That spaceship was something to behold inside and out. It looks modern and is one of the films that bring spaceships to the new century. The swimming pool was mind boggling – I wouldn’t go close to that mass of water that is kept in its’ place by such fragile means. The robots on the ships look great – and a dash of cuteness is mixed into the plot with the housekeeping robots.

What didn’t work? Well, the holes in the plot is bigger than the holes in the spaceship. Are these two really choosing to live on that ship for the remainder of their lives with only the other as company? How will they prevent children? What about the finite amount of food on the ship? Are they dooming their fellow passengers to a journey without food? How did the asteroid not immediately destroy the ship? It is extremely convenient that the fire started becoming unmanageable when they found it? Speaking of extreme convenience, how about the third passenger that woke up is able to access secure locations?

Despite the numerous unanswered questions, of which I’m sure many other bloggers can add more to, I actually ended up enjoying Passengers. I think that the leads were compatible. Jim can be forgiven his selfishness by considering his loneliness. Their heroic antics are heart warming, especially for the following passengers. If you keep your eyes closed and ignore all the questions, I’m sure you will enjoy Passengers too. But what I will end this review with one more question – Why did they change the ship into a swamp at the end?

January 9, 2017January 8, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2017, Arthur, asteroid, Aurora Lane, Chris Pratt, Drama, Homestead II, Jennifer Lawrence, Jim Preston, Laurence Fishburn, Michael Sheen, Movies, Passengers, Reviews, robot, Romance, Sci-Fi, space travel, Spaceship 11 Comments

Links I love V

Links I Love: Part V

First of all, we must discuss the big #Brangelina split. I think we all like to pretend that we’re just involved in our own lives my own life and couldn’t give jack shit about celebrities, but let’s just drop all of that for a few and focus on this. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? The internet has been on FIYAH this last few days and it’s been pretty hilarious. My favorite so far is why Jennifer Aniston is not giving a shit that Brad is getting divorced, brought to you by Huffington Post.

Passengers trailer

If there was ever a Jennifer Lawrence in a male form, Chris Pratt would be it. This seems like a great film, something new in space films – I mean, the avenues seemed to have been exhausted to venture into and there two actors are certainly capable to bring it to the table and carry a film as the only two characters.

This Epic Game of thrones theme cover – AHHH it is absolutely amazing

Where is the love? Black Eyed Peas remix

This gave me all the chills. We’ve come to the brink of societal collapse, and on days where I am feeling particularly morose I can’t help but wonder when exactly World War Three is going to break out. It is such a depressing and scary notion, but we cannot expect countries to sit by and constantly have their citizens slaughtered by lunatics. Anyway, on this completely depressing subject, I found the Black Eyed Peas remix of their hit song that was originally released in 2003. It is a song that has always had a lot of resonance, but it seems even more profound today. The remix is incredible and is an excellent production.

What Thor was doing during Captain America:

Bless Marvel for always being some form of a clown. I really enjoyed this clip and thought it was a perfect thing to release to hype people up for Ragnarok.

Engen petrol attendants dancing at petrol station

You need to watch this – South-Africans can be so damn cool when they want to be.

This Snow Patrol crowd that sung the song back to the bad ❤

Okay, there you go. Hope you enjoyed these!

September 28, 2016 by Natasha Categories: 2016, Links I Love, UncategorizedTags: Black Eyed Peas, Brangelina, Captain America, Chris Pratt, Game of Thrones, Jennifer Lawrence, Links I Love, Passengers, Snow Patrol, Thor, Where is the love 4 Comments

Best films of 2015: 1 – 10

Happy Thursday everyone! Somehow we all miraculously made it through the first week back at work. Let’s keep it up! To make your day worth it (jke), here is my top ten for 2015.

Note: I somehow lost my original post, so this may or may not turn out great.

10: Jurassic World

Original rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? It might eventually fall to a 7

What I Liked: Jurassic World managed to revive the franchise and is blockbuster entertainment at its’ finest. I adored Chris Pratt in here, and he is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

What I didn’t like: The more time passes the more the film seems incredibly sexist.

9: Kingsman: A Secret Service

Original rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? I actually think it deserves an 8

What I Liked: This was a really unexpectedly great film. The film is classy and very sassy and a tounge-in-the-cheek look at spy films. Colin Firth is especially in fine form. He can certainly consider more such roles!

What I didn’t like: That last scene where Buggsy goes and does the dirty with the Queen or something felt misplaced in the film.

8: Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling

Original Rating: 8/10

Does it still hold? It really deserves an 8.5/10

What I liked: The showcasing of South-African talent and the nailbiting events. I really can’t wait to give this disturbing and heart-wrenching story another watch.

7. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Original rating: 8/10

Does it still hold? I think I would rate this a 7/10 if I watched it again.

What I liked: Marvel has the ability to go really big and really grand. They are a powerhouse right now and it is obvious in anything they release in the market right now. I know everyone isn’t such a big fan of this film, because it has a number of valid issues, but I really did have a good time when I saw it in cinema.

What I didn’t like: It is excessively long. And the brave South-African cops are all lies.

6. The Man from U.N.C.L.E

Original rating: 8.5/10

Does it still hold? Yeah

What I Liked: The classy feel of the film, the hilarity, the Russian accent, the Cavil. I’m also becoming such a huge fan of Alicia Vikander that I will watch anything with her in right now.

5. Mad Max: Fury Road

Original Rating: 8.5/10

Does it still hold: 9/10

What I liked: YASSS everything.

What I didn’t like? There is nothing. Nothing.

4. Inside Out

Original Rating: 8.5/10

Does it still hold? Definitely

What I liked: This is such a surprising film and I really don’t like animations as a rule.

3. Ex Machina

Original Rating: 8.5/10

Does it still hold? Yep

What I liked: It is a well acted movie on A.I. and really worked out well. It is weird and Oscar Isaac shines. The ever delightful Domnhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander are great in their respective roles.

2. Star Wars

Original rating: 9/10

Does it still hold? Yes

What I liked: Primarily that it is a great film that can be watched even if you don’t know everything about the franchise.

1. The Martian

Original Rating: 10 / 10

Does it still hold? 9.5/10

What I liked: The Martian is truly everything I could ever want in a movie.

Well, there you go. Let me know your favorite films of 2015!

January 7, 2016January 4, 2016 by Natasha Categories: 2015, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ballade vir 'n enkeling, Best of 2015, Chris Pratt, Inside Out, Jurassic World, Kingsman: A Secret Service, Mad Max: Fury Road, Movies, Reviews, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens 17 Comments

Movie Review: Jurassic World (2015)

Plot: A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park’s newest attraction–a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine–escapes containment and goes on a killing spree

Rating: 7.5/10

We return to Isla Nublar in a movie that should have been called “Will the Humans never learn?”. Twenty years after the catastrophic events of the first Jurassic Park, Jurassic World is fully functioning as a massive and successful theme park. Park manager Clare (Bryce Dallas Howard) constantly seeks to find new ways to up the visitor rate at Jurassic World. One of these methods involves some dumb assery that involves Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) creating the Indominus Rex to attract more visitors. The I-Rex, created from different dinosaurs’ DNA, soon shows remarkable capabilities and intelligence, and it is quite soon when the park needs to deal with the knowledge that their 22 000 visitors and Staff members are in danger of becoming luncheon. Clare gets the help of the cocky Owen (Chris Pratt), to save her dumbass nephews from the I-Rex when they don’t follow orders and return to safety.

 

Well, I had a whale of a time with this movie. I started out slightly apprehensive because not all the reviews have been great. It was completely worth the watch. It is not as good as the 1993 Jurassic World (I think that will always be my favorite based on nostalgic happiness) but definitely better than the 1997 and 2001 versions. The story isn’t that intricate and the characters are one dimensional, but that is not always needed all the time for some popcorn entertainment. The action looks really and the dinosaurs are as much nerdy entertainment as they were in 1993.

 

Chris Pratt definitely works well as a cheeky adventure type and I can see why people would love him as the next Indiana Jones (except Zoë, 😀 ). He’s gorgeous, he’s funny, he has attitude and he acts quite well. Bryce Dallas Howard is actually nauseatingly beautiful and was quite good as the uppity Clare. The kids irritated me, both of them, and I hate that there needs to be kids in movie like these. Ugh.

The dinosaurs were well produced and seemed as realistic as prehistoric animals could possibly look in the 21^st century. I really enjoyed the relationship Owen had with his velociraptors and I thought them quite cute if you ignored that they were basically planning everyone’s deaths when you turned your back.

So many people were bitching about Clare running in heels throughout the movie. Can I just firstly say that feminism will only succeed the day we stop questioning the shoes women wear. HONESTLY, who friggin cares? Secondly, when would she have had the time to change her shoes? It’s not like the I-Rex would stop stomping around and not eat her so that she could change into her Nikes. Thirdly, the shoes suit her character. She’s a business woman, she’s pedantic, and she dresses nicely. So deal with it, okay?

I did find that the movie was really sexist in some aspects. I would usually let it slide because the moments were silly, but I think if your 1993 predecessor has more feminist notions than the 2015 sequel, something must be mentioned. Owen especially treated Clare like a moron. I mean, she didn’t create the super monster without disclosing its’ genetic traits, did she? No. It gets better throughout the movie and she saves the day a number of times, but Owen’s treatment of her started out extremely sexist and I did not appreciate it one bit.

Apart from them failing our equal rights ideals, Jurassic World was really well done and very entertaining. I think most people will really enjoy this – it is popcorn fun, so don’t expect too much in terms of multi layered villains (I mean, the I-Rex wanted basic food that’s all). There are some touching scenes with some of the dinosaurs and the characters have their expected romances and fights, and it will certainly keep you entertained for the duration of the film.

July 1, 2015June 30, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: B.D. Wong, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Dinosaur Movies, Dinosaurs, Jurassic Worl, Movies, Reviews 12 Comments

5 Things Friday: Five Things I am completely excited about

Happy Friday all!! Today is my last day of holiday (sad sigh) so I am cheering myself up with things I am completely excited about that is upcoming soon (or not so soon). Enjoy!!

1) Mockingjay Part One

When will this happen? Hopefully I will get to watch this Saturday. Even though reviews have been mixed, I am still excited to see what Katniss Everdeen gets up to.

Expected Rating: 7/10. I’m very sure that people are probably complaining about the correct things.

2) The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

I love the Lord of the Rings so much I haven’t yet reviewed it yet on this blog – I don’t want to screw it up, you see. I have enjoyed these movies OKAY – they are long, I disagree strongly with the presence of a Dwarf and Elf love saga and am amused by the fact that they could make three movies of that teensy book. BUT it is the only movie my dad sees in cinema and can’t wait to watch it with him – he and I are the true fans in the family and can discuss this for hours afterwards.

When will this happen? Within this month

Expected Rating: 7/10. Very sure the length of this movie will irritate me.

3) Jurassic World  

When I heard the imminence of another Jurassic World I was like erm, really? Wasn’t there about fifty million installments, each a bit worse than the previous? I loved the first movie a lot as a kid! I have to say, this is looking very good because 1) Graphics, 2) Chris Pratt, 3) DINOSAURS + SCIENCE.

When will this happen? South-Africa doesn’t have a release date yet on IMDb, so hopefully within 2015.

Expected Rating: 8/10 Looking good!

4) Avengers: Age of Ultron

Despite he fact that the filming on the South-African highway gave me an hour delay in my plans a few months ago, I am ridiculously excited. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When will this happen? 2015

Expected Rating: 8.5/10 EEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5) Sherlock Season 4

There is not a lot out on this yet, but it is apparently expected within 2015. I need this to happen very soon because I have been Sherlocked for months now and it is not stopping. I actually I think I will rewatch this within the next few weeks. .

I had to put this in because it is so cool!!

When will this happen? (hopefully) 2015

Expected Rating: 275/10 (not even a typo)

What are you excited about?

December 5, 2014December 4, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Avengers, Five Things Friday, Movies, SeriesTags: Age of Ultron, Battle of Five Armies, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Martin Freeman, Movies, Series, Sherlock 8 Comments