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AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Ironmaster

 Ironmaster 3/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

This Italian-French production has a story is about the leader of a prehistoric hunting tribe who is murdered by one of his own people, an evil young tyrant. When the tribe banishes the killer, he wanders into an area of volcanic activity and witnesses the natural formation of an iron bar. Using this weapon and the knowledge of the means to create it, he becomes mad with power and sets forth on a bloody mission to conquer all mankind...one tribe at a time. It is up to his lifelong rival to thwart these sinister plans. This is a poor movie from Italian director Umberto Lenzi. It's just 90 minutes of random loincloths and bludgeoning, with a boneheaded excuse for a plot attached. The dialogue and acting is as bad as I expected, but didn't give me any laughs. For some reason Lenzi gives us plenty of shots of a herd of buffalo on a grassy plain! I'm not sure if real animals were killed in this movie but given Lenzi's past record it wouldn't surprise me. Not worth bothering about this movie to be honest. Skip it!

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Mary Poppins Returns

 Mary Poppins Returns 6/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

After a gap of 54 years, everybody's favourite magical nanny is back but is this movie any good? This sequel is as much as homage to the original and doesn't necessarily add anything new. The plot's simple - Michael and Jane are now grown-up and Michael has three kids of his own, but the bank's trying to repossess his house, so they need to find a certificate of shares to save the house. Since everything's chaotic, Mary Poppins shows up to help look after the kids - John, Annabelle & Georgie. There's some good animated (traditional cartoons, not CGI, which is nice) scenes, but overall nothing truly exciting or original seems to happen. None of the songs seem that memorable and definitely not as catchy as the original. Emily Blunt did a superior job in the acting department but it's clear she's no Julie Andrews. Her take on Mary Poppins seems a little too cold at times. It also seemed a little bit of coincidence that the young lad playing Georgie is similar in looks to the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's son Prince George. There's a couple of nice cameos from Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury. So even if this movie fails to capture the charm of the original, it's still a fun movie to go and see.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Bumblebee

 Bumblebee 7/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Finally a decent movie for Transformers fans. Ditching Michael Bay was the best thing that could have happened. The franchise has gone back to it's roots with the robots actually looking how they were in the 80's cartoons. The amazing opening sequence on Cybertron probably had fanboys drooling with favourites such as Shockwave and Starscream showing onscreen. It got myself excited anyway! It was good to see Bumblebee back as the VW Beetle we know and love. Kudos for director Travis Knight for understanding Transformers and giving what the true fans wanted. I enjoyed the relationship between Bumblebee and his human owner played by the lovely Hailee Steinfeld. The movie had tender character moments and comedic moment that weren't cheap but was actually rather funny, successfully fleshing out the warmth of Bumblebee's character and making us sympathize with the lovable Autobot. Bumblebee is a fresh entrance in the Transformers franchise and can hopefully mark an exciting new direction for the franchise.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Thoroughbreds

 Thoroughbreds 7/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Billed as a cross between Heathers and American Psycho, this is an unsettling albeit subtly humorous tale of two childhood friends, upper class Lily and sharp witted social outcast Amanda, who debate try to solve each others problems, no matter the cost. Their friendship is tested by a cold-blooded plan of murdering Lily's minted stepfather Mark whom she despises. This movie is incredibly entertaining and intriguing from beginning to end. The story unfolds in a very interesting way and the ending left me satisifed. It manages to be both comedic and dark and balances the tone quite well. Anya Taylor Joy and Olivia Cooke have excellent chemistry together as Lily and Amanda. Although different personality wise, the subtle humour derives from the contrast between the two, such as Cooke's dry hilarity and emotionless stature, and Taylor-Joy's conflicting role as a young woman trying to cope with her terrible step-father. Director Cory Finley creates tension throughout some scenes with just dialogue and pacing without having to show any violence or gore on screen. He uses very descriptive disturbing dialogue, careful framing and pacing to make your skin crawl. Overall, this is an engaging and effective movie packed with impressive performances and a vision from a debutant director that gives a breath of fresh air to treaded ground. Do check it out.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Escape by Night

 Escape by Night 7/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

A bus transporting prisoners is hijacked when a gang takes their leader back. The rest of the prisoners and the bus is locked up inside a barn which is doused with paraffin and will be set alight if anybody tries to escape. This is a cracking low budgeter. Part of the story follows a police investigation as they attempt to track down the missing prisoners while another follows the melodrama taking place inside the barn as certain prisoners recall the tale of how they got to be arrested by the police in the first instance. There's a good cast which includes Peter Sallis as an unhinged lunatic who thinks everybody should be afraid of him. It's him that sets up the fiery and exciting finale. I enjoyed this little b-movie.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

A realistic tale of puppy love between two 12 year olds who decide that they want to be together for the rest of their lives and marry straight away. For anybody that has fallen in love for the first time at school, you'll find a lot of nostalgia in this great movie. The story revolves around the pair's growing up years at home, at school and outdoors. In the end, Daniel's friend Ornshaw helps the eager boy-girl couple to get married by playing the pastor performing their marriage ceremony with their school friends as the congregation. There are so many great moments in the movie that take you right through your childhood age although the anarchic final 20 mins is a bit far-fetched. The movie is directed by Waris Hussein who is best known for his work on the early episodes of Dr Who. The gentle soundtrack from the Bee Gees complemented the movie and helped to evoke the 70's era beautifully. An innocent and charming movie which will turn some viewers into hopeless romantics after watching it.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

The Duchess is based on the true life story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire who married William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire in England in 1774. The facts of Georgiana's life form the basis of the movie's plot such as her initial failure to produce an heir to the Duke to her affair with the future Prime Minister Charles Grey. This is a very beautiful looking movie. The costumes are grand and wonderful to look at. The art direction was also of a high end and there was a lot of detail put into this movie. They wanted to get the feel for the period. The director Saul Dibb seemed to be influenced by Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon with the amount of candle light shots and wonderful historical settings in Bath and the countryside. Dibb did a good job trying to keep a good pace and there solid attempt to make an interesting movie. Keira Knightley gives a powerful and sympathetic performance as The Duchess. Hayley Atwell has an interesting character as both Georgiana's best friend and the Duke of Devonshire's lover in what is a very complex relationship. All in all, The Duchess is a great costume drama full of compellingly deep characters. One to watch for sure.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Young Paul Grahame is the elder child in a family living well above their means. His mother Hester is a spendthrift badly hung up on money as some sort of status symbol, while his father, Richard is a gambler, and not a good one at that. The family are heading for bankruptcy unless some income comes in. Befriending the new handyman Bassett, Paul is delighted to find that Bassett is an ex-jockey and regales him with tales of horse racing, he even learns from Bassett how to ride his rocking horse like a real jockey. Then something magical happens, Paul seems to be able to predict the winners of real horse races, and the money starts to roll in… D. H. Lawrence's story gets a faithful adaptation and transfers quite excellently to the screen. It's a haunting fantasy at heart, but one tinged with utter sadness. As the story progresses, it soon becomes evident that Paul has to ride his rocking horse to a frenzied climax, if he doesn't get there then he will not see the name of the next race winner. The irony of this movie is that Paul ends up virtually saving his family from financial ruin without them knowing it. The stress and strain of 'saving the family' soon becomes too great for Paul to bare. This is truly a bizarre story about how the burdens of a dysfunctional family are often placed on an innocent child who wants to fill a void that the adults aren't able, or willing, to do on their own. The whole cast is brilliant but especially John Howard Davies as young Paul. This story after almost 70 years still holds up well as one of the most sinister movies I've ever seen. Recommended.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

A classic Christmas movie which is sadly neglected these days. This is the story of a Christmas in which the emotionally wounded family of a Church of England clergyman come home and attempt to have a happy holiday. It's a reasonably realistic look at a family of emotional cripples as they all try to put their lives back on track. Various members of the family have gone through painful experiences of one kind or another but have been afraid of telling their father as they thought he wouldn't understand as a vicar. Forget about the usual cheery Christmas movies in which everybody is happy and smiling. This is a real Christmas about real people. The movie has a tremendous cast in Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton, Denholm Elliot, and Hugh Williams! This is a movie that deserves wide attention and should be a Christmas staple.

6 years, 1 month ago

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6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

An American comes over to Britain trying to find some information out about his younger brother who was killed in a commando raid during WWII but the shot that killed him did not come from a German soldier. This is a great whodunit detective movie. It's not an easy task to discover details about a death during a commando raid, obviously a chaotic and deliberately secret event by nature. Although the American's motivations remain a bit fuzzy to everyone, he is doggedly determined. The result is an ending resolution that I found to be rewarding and finely done. Ray Milland is the perfect choice as the American. Director Jack Tourneur has made this movie like an Agatha Christie puzzle in which clues are slowly drip fed to the viewer. There are some fine shots of the Scottish Highlands as Milland pursues the truth north of the border, where the whistling of a folk tune called 'White Heather' takes on significance in terms of identifying the killer. Overall, this is a fantastic movie for those who love mystery stories.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Based on a stage play, Warren Mitchell is Fred Midway who is plotting his way up in the world by using devious methods such as posting anonymous letters to get rid of his competitors to rise up the ladder where he works. It seems the rest of the family also share his ideals of bettering themselves - by fair means or foul! The story outline above sets the tone for the movie as Fred and his wife try to marry off their daughters to people in positions of power to further their standing in high society. Although Mitchell gets to play somebody other than Alf Garnett, at times in the movie the viewer does see some of Garnett showing through. There are a variety of beautiful ladies on display such as Adrienne Posta and Vanessa Howard to provide eye candy for the men. It's not a laugh out loud comedy in any shape or form but I found it amusing enough. The final scene of Fred Midway laughing victoriously as he blackmails the boss of his company is quite chilling. A good British low-budget comedy which is hardly seen these days.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Made a year before the Disney version came out, this movie is much closer to the fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Although there is no definitive version of the story, it is far better better than the Disney movie that there is no doubt. This new French version is different from many other versions because it concentrates much more on the family's back story and how awful Belle's siblings are. The movie is also visually breathtaking. The style takes from classic watercolour paintings and it gives the movie such a vibrant gorgeous storybook feel. The Beast also sports some pretty decent practical makeup that does a good job conveying what a humanised lion may be like. Vincent Cassel is great underneath all the makeup as The Beast with the beautiful Lea Seydoux complimenting alongside him as Belle. Director Christophe Gans did a wonderful job on this movie. It's a fairly impressive movie and I enjoyed it.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

This is a rather weak spin-off movie from the Jimmy Edwards comedy series Whack-O! which has him as the headmaster of a private boys school trying to rein in the unruly pupils. The TV series was written by good comedy writers in Frank Muir and Dennis Norden but this movie has only a scant contribution from both and it shows. This movie just isn't that funny. Many viewers are also likely to be offended by Melvyn Hayes blacking up as a young Arabian Prince. Jimmy Edwards is assisted by a young Richard Briers and Donald Hewlett. It might be interesting for some to look back at a time when children were routinely beaten with a cane for minor transgressions. Compared to the more wittier St Trinian's series at the time, this looks poor beside them.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan rated Contraband

 Contraband 7/10

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Chris Farraday is a retired smuggler turned family man who now owns his own business selling alarm systems. Farraday is forced back into the contraband game when his brother-in-law Andy, owes his boss Tom Briggs a large sum of money due to the drug deal he failed to deliver. Everything does not go according to plan when Farraday goes to Panama with his team of smugglers to repay Andy's debt. This was a pretty good heist thriller. I thought the story was unique and the location too. I haven't seen many movies aboard freighters in the Panama Canal before. The action scenes were exciting, the cast more than decent and it had a pretty great ending. Mark Wahlberg carries the movie with more cool than edge, and even when the story gets mazy and convoluted, he's a genuine enough protagonist to make everything seem precisely clear: exactly when it needs to be. I was more than entertained with the movie and it is certainly a watch or two.

6 years, 1 month ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! list

Hard pressed scientist Albert Dooley has little money to spend as his work with animals isn't proving as profitable as he hoped it would be. However one day his worthless duck is exposed to high levels of radiation. Taking the duck home with him he finds that it can be stimulated to lay eggs – eggs made of solid gold. This is a typical example of the great family movies that Disney produced during this period. The plot is goofy and sets the tone for the sense of humour but it isn't used very well. Instead of laughs it really only produces energy and wackiness. There are a few laughs mostly during the car chase near the end. This is a fine movie for children and even adults should find it enjoyable.

6 years, 1 month ago