A Strange Variety of Film Reviews by CosmicRunaway

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My reviews practically ground to a halt while I was playing Survivors VI and VII, but now that they're over I plan to write again on a more consistent basis. If anyone has any recommendations for me, you don't have to wait for the Chain Challenge to send them my way.
Have you seen Yes, Madam?
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Movie Reviews | Anime Reviews
Top 100 Action Movie Countdown (2015): List | Thread
"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel



Actually that looks a little familiar. I think I saw your review but didn't read it. I don't normally read reviews of movies I don't know to avoid spoilers, just in case.



Actually that looks a little familiar. I think I saw your review but didn't read it. I don't normally read reviews of movies I don't know to avoid spoilers, just in case.
Well I tend to spoil the crap out of movies in my reviews, so yeah.



I've gone back and reconsidered the ratings I gave to some previous Reviews. Here is a list of changes if anyone was interested:

The Truth About Demons

Old:

New:

I decided to give this a small boost due to entertainment purposes.

Kingsman
Old:

New:

This is the only rating I've decreased. I've become slightly less forgiving of its flaws over time, but still enjoy it.

Cryptic
Old:

New:

I wanted to rate this slightly higher at the time, but felt like it had to fall in line with how I rated other similar movies. Since I've increased them slightly, this one gets a bump as well.

Swerve
Old:

New:

See previous comment. Also, I took points off this because I wasn't sure if what I did enjoy was purely because I like Jason Clarke or not, but I've since decided that I don't care what the reason was and have rated it accordingly.

Deep Shock
Old:

New:

I knew giving it a 0 was way too harsh when I rated it, but to me it's worse than Swerve and the only thing lower than that movie's old rating was nothing. At least I can fix that now.

So the lesson I learned here was not to rate future films based on how I've rated previous ones because that'll just restrict my options and I'll probably regret it later.



No worries. Other people's criticisms of movies I love don't really affect how I feel about them. I can usually admit to myself when something I like is actually complete trash, so most critiques are things I'm already well aware of haha. If I like something it's despite its flaws, though over time and repeat viewings I might become less forgiving.



"I smell sex and candy here" - Marcy Playground
Nice to see someone make time for so many low rated movies. Maybe a bit too generous with Bon Cop. Genysis deserves a 3. Haven't seen the rest. I've been meaning to check out Filth.
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"I may be rancid butter, but I'm on your side of the bread."
E. K. Hornbeck



I was actually going to upgrade Genysis to a 3 (also considered rating it that from the start), but it's one of those movies where the more I think about it, the more things I decide I don't really like, so I left it alone. Just because I give something a low rating doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. I bought the 3D BluRay for that movie day one.

As much as I try to keep sentimentality out of my actual scores, it's possible that Bon Cop, Bad Cop has a slightly boosted score for that very reason. Maybe I'll look at it again the next time I reconsider ratings.



I decided to add a description of my popcorn scores to the first post, since people are something surprised about my ratings, particularly ones for movies I actually like. I was going to do this last week, but instead I added links to the other reviews I posted outside this thread. Priorities, I have them.





Blood Father (2016)
Dir. Jean-François Richet
Starring: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty

Blood Father is the story of John Link, an ex-convict who is unexpectedly reunited with his estranged, runaway daughter while she's trying to escape from her boyfriend's gang. John is forced to confront his own life choices and past mistakes while he gives everything he has to try to protect his daughter and make amends while he still has the chance. Technically the story does centre around Lydia (the daughter), not John, but let's be honest here: if you're going to sit down and watch this movie, chances are it's solely for Gibson. Luckily he doesn't disappoint.

The biggest draw for me wasn't the action, but rather the relationship between John and Lydia. They're very believable characters, and their dynamic was a pleasure to watch. John has a bad temper, and Gibson is scarily intense whenever it flares up, but the quiet moments between the two of them, and his funny, snide comments to her when she's talking about unimportant drama were very engaging as well. Moriarty is not overshadowed in these scenes, and manages to hold her own against the seasoned actor. They end up working really well together on screen.



It really is the two of them that sell the film, because otherwise it isn't anything special. Blood Father is your typical action/thriller with a fairly predictable plot. It does have quite a bit of charm though, and thanks to the excellent father-daughter dynamic, a bit of heart as well. There is an intensity to the action sequences, though they're secondary to the drama and never go on long enough to overstay their welcome. It does sort of peak a bit early, and ends up feeling anti-climactic, but it's an enjoyable experience all the same.

Blood Father is exactly the kind of movie I've been wanting to see Mel Gibson in for a long time now. It's a shame that this got such a limited theatrical release, because I would've loved to see this on the big screen. I really hope it gets more attention with its upcoming BluRay release and current VOD availability, because fans of the genre shouldn't overlook it, thinking it's just some direct-to-DVD trash. It's a B-movie, but that doesn't mean it's not as good, if not better, than many of the high-budget, high-profile action films that came out this year.



Definitely check out Blood Father if you want to see Mel Gibson
return to form, or if you're a fan of B-movie thrillers.

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I wasn't very impressed when I found out my theatre wouldn't be getting it 2 months ago, because I wanted to see it since the first trailer came out. I thought it was worth the wait though, so check it out if you get the chance.



I wasn't very impressed when I found out my theatre wouldn't be getting it 2 months ago, because I wanted to see it since the first trailer came out. I thought it was worth the wait though, so check it out if you get the chance.
It's in my sub-sub-to-do-list.



Nothing good comes from staying with normal people
CosmicRunaway
I really hope it gets more attention with its upcoming BluRay release and current VOD availability, because fans of the genre shouldn't overlook it, thinking it's just some direct-to-DVD trash. It's a B-movie, but that doesn't mean it's not as good, if not better, than many of the high-budget, high-profile action films that came out this year.
If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend Get the Gringo (2012). Same B-movie feel, a little light on the emotional spectrum, but in the end it's a more light-hearted version of Payback with a little more humor. It's not soley for the money he does what he does in the movie anymore, though.
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Why not just kill them? I'll do it! I'll run up to Paris - bam, bam, bam, bam. I'm back before week's end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?



It's not as light as the trailer would have you believe, but I still thought it was pretty fun. I usually don't like kids, but the kid in that movie was pretty entertaining. I've never really thought of it as being similar to Payback, but now that you've brought it up I can see some similarities. I don't really have much to say about it other than that though haha.

For the record, it's pretty safe to assume that I've seen practically every Gibson movie. I even own Tim on DVD, no joke.




The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
(2010)
Dir. Luc Besson
Starring: Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Nicolas Giraud
Language: French

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is a 2010 comedy adventure film from director Luc Besson, who is better known for his work on Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. It is based based on the French comic series Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec, and in particular it is an adaptation of the stories “Adèle and the Beast” and “Mummies on Parade”. I was expecting an Indiana Jones knock-off mixed with The Mummy, but wasn't quite prepared for so much of the plot to centre around psychic abilities and other paranormal phenomena.

The story follows the titular character, Adèle Blanc-Sec, as she attempts to locate a mummy believed to be the personal physician of Ramesses II. Professor Espérandieu, a genius physicist who happens to be an expert on Ancient Egypt, as well as an expert on the Jurassic period, has been researching telekinetic and telepathic methods to supposedly conquer death. Adèle wants him to revive this Egyptian Doctor so he can cure her twin sister Agathe, who has been comatose for 5 years after an accident drove a hat pin through her head. Unfortunately while Adèle is in Egypt, during a session where he practices his new power, Espérandieu awakens and hatches a baby pterodactyl from an egg in the nearby museum.


That might sound clumsy and hard-to-follow, but my description leaves out a number of subplots that only further confuse the narrative flow of the film. I think the problem is rooted in the attempt to adapt two very different stories from the comics. If The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec had chosen just one story, we probably would've ended up with a much neater product. A de-cluttered plot would allow audiences to focus on the clever, satiric dialogue, and impressive visual direction, instead of being smothered by overly ridiculous situations. It's really a shame that the film's quirky and witty nature does not get much of a chance to shine through.

Despite all of that, the actors' performances are fortunately not lost with that messy plot. Louise Bourgoin is particularly charming as Adèle, and most of the supporting cast are amusing to watch, even if they are more like cartoons than real people. The special effects are surprisingly not that terrible, though if they had been, it might've at least added another level of humour to the film, instead of just being awkwardly passable. In the end, the film's shortfalls are hard to overcome, and even though I'm someone who usually looks favourably on the mystical and paranormal, this film was just little too much for me.



It might be worth watching if you're a huge fan of Luc Besson, or if
you want a light adventure flick and don't mind the ridiculousness
of a plot involves mummies, dinosaurs, and magic science.
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