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Derekrusselpurvis
Reviews
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
I walked out of the theatre....
The movie looks absolutely amazing. The animation, and effects are breathtaking; the characters look stunning, and the environment is beautiful. Do I even need to mention the music? From what I was able to hear, A+ as usual with this series.
Toothless and the Ligh Fury relationship seemed to be a decent push for the movie, and I was looking forward to some cute moments that hopefully wouldn't be handled with too much cliche.
However... cliche is the very word that comes to mind when I think about this film...
So far biggest issue I had with the film (as far as I watched) is the villain. (What's his name again?.... eh...) His motives were so basic and "cliche" that I only made it about 1/2 way into the movie.... I just couldn't stand the lack of narrative and story telling the movie brough to the table.
I'm sure that fans of the trilogy will truly enjoy this 3rd installment... but I doubt it will be anyone's favorite. I plan on renting the film and finishing it one day... But I could sit there any longer.
To me, a movie is only as good as its villain... and this villain brought nothing to the table. It would have been better if there was no villain at all honestly, but the laziness in writing that came along with the villain truly did spoil this movie for me... call me petty... Dreamworks hasn't really captured my attention in a while.... I really hope I don't start developing a bias against them.
Let's make sure our story is worth telling, especially when ending such an beloved series.
The Upside (2017)
Never heard of this story before this film
I guess there was another earlier version of this film, but I would have probably never known about it if it wasn't for this film.
The negative reviews have shown me that either critics don't know what good movies are anymore; or that people are not looking at this film for what it is individually. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and was amazed at how well Kevin Hart was able to act in such a fun yet serious role.
I highly recommend for a more mature audience.
Bumblebee (2018)
The "bee-st" one so far
Surprisingly, the one with the most enduring story has the least flashy effects.
Don't get me wrong, the overall film is beautiful as the rest, but I felt there was far more emphasis placed on characters relationship with her "Bumblebee", than trying to look cool with too many slow motion effects and huge explosions.
Hailee Steinfeld Knocks it out of the park... I fell in love with her character almost right away. John Cena also delivers an overall well performance for his role.
The film is filled with the 1980s charm and music. It's a beautiful story with a strong human elimate to it.
The only issue I had with the film was that it seemed lazy with its portrail of the military... just steriotylical "Avatar" type brutes who just want to shoot things up without thinking... But when you demonize a group like this, it diminishes any honest points you tried to bring across... However, they didn't totally fumble that eliment; which brought my review from a 7 to an 8.
I'm sad that we probably won't get to see anymore of Hailee Steinfeld's character (who knows?)... but this film renews my hope for such Transformer films in the future...
Brovo! I highly recommend
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
The best Nicolas Cage movie in a long while.
Went into this movie not sure what to expect... and I came out thinking "that was an awesome way to end 2018". Fun, witty, and heartouching; a great film for the family, or just yourself. I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face; they did Spider-Man justice.
RIP Stan lee
Code of Honor (2016)
A wonderful comedy
Can we all just agree that Seagal has become he very own parody at this point?... the 10 star rating is out of pure enjoyment of seeing more of the awful movies come out in the future.
Quan Zhi Gao Shou (2017)
Long Live The King
I discovered this anime (yes, I'm calling it anime) through YouTube anime analyst; and I'm very happy he recommended it.
Basicly the story is that of a game master for an MMO called "Glory" is starting over with e new character. He progresses through the game, helping other players along the way to clear raids and grow stronger.
In real life, an experienced player with a new/weak game avatar can still do a lot of damage thanks to his knowledge and understanding of the game... but this story tries putting the absolute best player in the world into a new avatar... and that is pretty much what you get with the show... and I loved it! But I understand that maybe its not some people's cup of tea.
The main character is the focus of the story, but the show does a great job making me care about the supporting cast. Many different personalities and classes of fighters, they got that part down very well. (SAO... I'm looking at you... learn from this show!)
The Kings Avatar truly impressed me with its battle choreography and animation.
The art is beautiful, and has a unique taste that can be seen 30 seconds into episode 1. Some of the show is done with 3D animation, but it's done pretty well except in a few areas, but overall I liked how they did it.
I really hope this anime gets an English dub soon... I did have to go back and pause some of the subtitles because they went too fast... you also might want to have a basic understanding of MMOs, but the show does a good job of explaining some of the game machanics and meanings, so it's not necessary .
Very much worth the viewing. Great Job China! Keep them coming!
Netojuu no susume (2017)
MMO = LOL <3 <3 <3
I came for the MMO, but stayed for the incredible story that raided me unexpectedly. This is a beautiful story about two players who learn to play an MMO together... but things take an unexpected twist early on in the show. I can't say much more about this Anime without spoiling it, so I guess you're just going to have to take my word for it... Just be sure to stick around for episode 4. I found myself laughing, clapping, and almost falling over in embarrassment for the characters multiple times... I only planned on watching a few episodes, but I was unable to stop once I started, finishing the entire Anime in one sitting... I loved it!
Some of the cons you might find depending on your taist: Most of the anime takes place outside of the MMO, so if the MMO aspect is all you are here for you may be disappointed. The coincidences are very strong in this show, but I still had a wonderful time watching it.
Sword Art Online Abridged (2013)
The SAO we need... and the SAO we deserve...
I couldn't stand the original SAO... but this parody has let me enjoy the core story of SAO without insulting my intelligence. SAO: Abridged is incredibly well written, and gives the beautiful artwork of the original respectable dialogue and character building aspect. Hilarious, witty, and surprisingly heart touching; this is SAO if it were actually good. "It's the SAO we need... and the SAO we all deserve..."
Titanic (1997)
Almost 20 years later, still love it.
I remember seeing this movie a few times when I was only 7 years old, I didn't understand much of the romance; but I do remember the ship and all the water, and especially the ending. It's been almost 20 years since I last saw Titanic, and after seeing it for the first time as an adult; wow, what a ride. I'm not sure even with today's visual effects and so forth if a remake would be able to do any better in resenting the liner, and capture the feel that James Cameron did. I really enjoyed Titanic, and happy to give it a 9/10.
The dialogue in some places is a little unconvincing, along with some of the choices made ha-ha. Some things seemed ambit rushed, but with such a small time scale to work with, rushed in probably a unavoidable aspect. (Bar making Titanic a 4+ hour long film)
Very cleaver writing to make Titanic a love story upon such a tragic event, no doubt just a story about the event would have been "tragically boring" so I enjoyed having something to keep me distracted (Heros and villains) while the Titanic ... did its thing.
I recommend this film today and for the next 20+ years, and would be very interested if anyone would like to try and top it with a Titanic remake.
Anazâ (2012)
Spine tingling all the way through
From the start, this series waist no time getting you into the heart racing, yet calm and uncomfortable feeling, almost as if you are being watched by someone, or something.... I had hair rise on my back too many times to count watching this series, and often felt myself looking around to see if someone was in the dark room with me. This anime was so well constructed, that it seats you into the classroom of Yomiyama North Middelschool, and invites you into class 3, where some of the most terrifying event await you and your classmates... What happened to classroom 3 over 20 years ago? Who is the person in the photo? And more importantly, who will be next?... But shhhhh we have no business talking about "such things"...
Noah (2014)
It's a good idea to read the Bible before making a Bible movie.
Spoiler alert!!!!
Very exciting and dramatic story, but for the Bible scholar it will be irritating unless you can convince yourself as I did that it is a completely different story apart from the Biblical account of Noah.
Anyone claiming it is accurate needs to read up on it before posing a review. Yes there were fallen angels in the Bible, but NO they did not help the children of Cain build a city and then get attacked and slowly killed off by the humans. The movie gets an A on creativity, but an F on accuracy.
Fallen angels in the Bible also did not fall because God was punishing them for helping humans, but were cast out because they had pledged their loyalty to satin rather than God. So in other words, the movie makes it seem as if Satin's angels were just misunderstood victims that wanted to show mercy. COMPLETELY OFF
Then there is the notion that God left it up to Noah to choose if mankind would continue or be destroyed. In the Bible God tells Noah that he wants him to replenish the earth from the very beginning. In the film God is projected as some merciless jerk who just wants Noah to save the animals and then die with his family causing the human race to be extinct. This also makes Noah appear to be a mad man and is willing to kill newborn children so he doesn't "fail" God. Again... WAY OFF
there are a lot of Very unnecessary unrealistic aspects in the film which made the story beyond unbelievable. I can't understand why they chose to go so far from the Bible, the true story is far more entertaining and beautiful. Nothing is more amazing than the truth. I understand that you need to add a Hollywood aspect to the film as was done with "One Night With The King" and "Passion", but they went way off-road in this movie.
I wish it would have given a better view on the wickedness of man, and how perverted the people were. The audience is left in the dark in a large portion of the film.
But as I said in the start of my review, a entertaining movie when you remove the Biblical accuracy from the mix.
Emma Watson was spot on with her part as always. Russel Crow captured what the film needed in his character.
Some parts I have a hard time getting over, like the girl in the trap part near the end... Poor Ham...
I could go on about the accuracy of the film, but I recommend it despite the fact. Just keep in mind that this is a very highly dramatized version for pure entertainment, and these people are competing with Godzilla for peek sakes.
I hope a real Noah movie is made someday. Beautiful acting in this film, hate to see all their hard work go unappreciated. Go watch it, enjoy it, and have a nice day.
Godzilla (2014)
Met expectations
It starts off medium paced with a tragic event that sort of gears the audience for what will be a roller coaster ride of events leading from one twist to another. I felt the movie met all my expectations of what a Godzilla movie should be. There weren't any WOW moments other than the moment when Godzilla shoots fire from his mouth. I felt most of the movie was aimed towards the other two monsters, rather than Godzilla himself. I believe the other two got more screen time. Overall, I am happy I got to see this Godzilla. The 1998 Godzilla had a better overall story line, and Godzilla was more involved in the 1998 film than this one. But I cannot say I am upset with the films production, and it's nice to see New York City make it through a city destruction film for a change.
Godzilla was larger than life on the screen, and I was pleased with how amazing he looked, and especially the fire breathing attack he used. This film has me screaming "Godzilla!!!" Hope there is a sequel to follow.
Met my expectation, didn't exceed a whole lot. I got what I paid for, good movie.
Moms' Night Out (2014)
Not an idiots cup of tea
Reminded me of "Date Night" with Steve Carroll and Tina Fey. If you are the type of person who can't laugh unless there is a sex reference every five seconds, then this movie is not for you. I was very disappointed that there were no curse words, or nudity in the film. All jokes were very clean, and brought me to an innocent laughter that I am not comfortable feeling. I was even more uncomfortable at the end of the movie, when Trace Adkins proposed that God loves people, and loves moms. I felt it was improper to attempt to help peoples lives by making them feel better about where they are in life. Even more irritating was the fact that this movie was dedicated to moms, and tries to help husbands understand the importance of motherhood. Hollywood really doesn't care. Family or Christian values do not make money. Not even a single graphic design. I couldn't stand all the people laughing non stop in the theater, and some even laughed to tears. People were walking out saying how they wish more movies were made like this. I hope not... These movies infect the home with some radical Christian bond that helps families stay together somehow. The movie was too intrusive, and didn't meet par on
High demand scenes. Embarrassment of a movie, and should not be called "Hollywood worthy" and all high ranked critics would agree. To much love and caring in the film... Makes you walk away feeling better about life. We can't have this, and I hope it is removed from as many theaters as possible... Soon.