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Like a pulp era adventure-fantasy novel came to life, 'King Kong' delivers fast-paced action with a bang — and melodrama by the bucket-full.
'Heart of Darkness' is referenced in the movie, Jimmy is reading it. Successful nod to a literary classic.
Begins with some suspense but quickly course-corrects with silly antics; the hamfisted comedy on-screen harkens back to early era cinema. Is stylistically similar to Disney epics like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Jungle Cruise' — both a positive and a negative, more on that later!
The homage/tribute to the 1930s version; nice touch, in this movie we are watching the expedition that "filmed" the first King Kong motion picture. The (implied) contrast between the original colourless visuals vs the high-gloss saturated look of the newer film is very pleasing. Breathing new life into iconic imagery isn't just a gimmick; this movie knows that.
In 'Dune' the visual opulence is awe inspiring — innate architectures, panoramic shots of natural beauty; seamless scene transitions, remarkable compositions, and of course expert colour grading. The cinematography is truly unique — unlike any science fiction film that has come before — save maybe '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
Denis Villenieuve directed this picture 'Dune: Part I' magnificently, managing to undo the stigma caused by the failings of previous adaptations of Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece.
Much like the spice melange, 'Dune' is now the hottest commodity in the known universe.
He's charismatic enough to make the role memorable and has the star-power to sell tickets.
Comic book villains often deliver a triumphant final speech – no one else delivers monologues like Robert Downey; no one. He's top tier!
The characters of Iron Man and Dr. Doom are symmetrical in a thematic sense. Both are billionaire sycophants who seek to control the world around them. And they both wear masks — so there's that.
Comics are a medium that often rely on "heel turns", a term borrowed from wrestling that refers to the moment when a heroic figure turns into a "heel" or a villain. In essence this recasting is in keeping with tradition — especially if Doom ends up being a Tony Stark variant. [1]
“Logic points to Downey’s Doctor Doom being from the same world that is home to the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps, which takes place in an alternate version of Earth within the vast multiverse. It is possible, while feeling oddly implausible, for Victor von Doom to look like Tony Stark on that alternate Earth.”
- Ryan Reynolds is a massively experienced actor with 61 pictures and 24 television series listed in his filmography.
- He made sure that 'Deadpool & Wolverine' did not end up with an inflated budget; ensuring that the film had the same "micro-budget feel" as the previous two entries. [1] IMDb.com
-Reynolds is a Canadian actor who was born in Vancouver, BC.
-He's one of the higher paid entertainers working today, with a net worth of $350 million USD (2024).
-Ryan's earlier attempts at appearing in superhero properties ended in spectacular failure, ''Green Lantern' and 'X-Men Wolverine: Origins' were critical-flops and commercial losses, both motion pictures featured the actor in a key role.
-Reynolds first rose to prominence with his breakout film National Lampoon's 'Van Wilder' (2002).
Kingsman: The Secret Service
What a ride!
Hold my umbrella as I regale you with a tale of secret agents, Oxford whites and technocrat billionaires. If you took Ian Flemming and added Guy Ritchie's sensibilities – the outcome would be: Matthew Vaughn's 'Kingsman' movies. 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is an absurdist nightmare with cheeky overtones; providing levity for an audience that otherwise might be nonplussed with the now rather tired tropes of the spy thriller genre.
Colin Firth takes the lead – starring as Harry Hart AKA agent "Gallahad" – a pastiche of British superspy James Bond and 'Get Smart's' Maxwell Smart. Agent Gallahad is a man not to be trifled with; he's humanity's last hope to prevent a planned doomsday event, working alongside a new agent-in-training, "Eggsy" – played expertly by Taron Eggerton.
‘Madame Web’ defines mediocrity.
Albeit, it’s not nearly as awful as most critics would have you believe. It doesn’t reach ‘Morbius’ levels of bad – yet, this movie is so bland and predictable – that it’s (essentially) the cinematic equivalent of paint-by-numbers. Which begs the question: how did the filmmaker manage to botch the more formulaic aspects of this movie?
All this picture required was standard superhero fare:
tell an origin story, craft a villain with little to no characterization, and finish it all with an action set-piece atop some towering structure – skyscraper, scaffolding, monument, etc. If this formula was followed – we would’ve had an average Marvel movie.
Not a masterpiece, but enjoyable viewing nonetheless.
Why, then, is Sony Pictures Madame Web worse than your run-of-the-mill Marvel flick?
‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ sticks to the proven formula of a Dick Wolfe production; while combining cultural aspects of Canada – to great success. As a longtime fan of the franchise and a self-admitted “procedural drama junkie”, I’m a fairly good judge of what makes a cop-show work. Dialogue and pacing is one of the most important factors. Each episode is a self-contained mystery, so the story needs to be engaging yet delivered somewhat opaquely. Anticipation and intrigue is key.
The pilot episode’s plot is fairly straightforward:
A crypto mogul is missing after attending an event on Lake Ontario, taking with him hundreds of millions in cash from his clients. Has he absconded with the money or is it possible that foul play is involved?
Hugh Jackman is an Australian actor and performer.
Playing the superhero “Wolverine” has been very profitable for Jackman. Four of his five highest grossing movies are part of the X-men film franchise. But there is one role that has earned him pay on par with this; his turn as P.T. Barnum in the musical-epic ‘The Greatest Showman’. [1]
Jackman is known for starting his career on stage, performing in theatrical productions like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Oklahoma!’ – earning an award nomination for the latter.
He had the privilege of hosting the 81st Academy Awards (2009).
His full name is Hugh Michael Jackman.
The actor’s film debut came all the way back in 1999, in a little known independant movie ‘Erskineville Kings’.
Hugh Jackman was named Sexiest Man Alive by People.com/Magazine. But the “Aussie” celeb isn’t the only actor from Down Under who’s earned that moniker – Chris Hemsworth shares the title – however, Hugh was first! [2]
‘Made in Canada’
is a CBC Television scripted-comedy series that ran for five consecutive seasons between the years of 1998 - 2003. It lampoons the television industry – focusing specifically on Canadian content and productions; and the often hilarious struggles of marketing, broadcasting, and the day-to-day running of an office. It’s a precursor to shows like ‘30 Rock’, and more tangentially ‘The Office’ (UK & USA).
This is a must-watch series.
Here’s a quote from IMDb to sum it up:
“Richard Strong” (Rick Mercer):
[first line of the series] All my life I wanted to make movies. A good movie can change lives. A great movie can change the world. But television, it's different. It's not about making a difference. Television's about making one thing only. Money. [1]
The man who started it all – Sir Sean Connery – receives the honour of being star of the WDM(c) choice for No 1 top 007 film of all-time.
Screw being a knight, this is way better.
Connery’s ability to play James Bond is bar none. He brings a certain vitriole; suave, yet ready to leap-into-action at any moment. I’m sure – it could be argued that Craig portrayed the character with more physicality along with a cool, cold-demeanor. I won’t deny that, however Connery managed a certain poise while giving a highly charismatic turn as the globe-trotting secret agent. His facial acting conveyed superb tact and ego; 007’s trademark attributes. And the man’s innate classiness went a long way in convincing the audience that he excelled at espionage within high society.
Connery was hands down the most suited in the role of master-of-disguise, something that later Bond entries tend to overlook. In his role as an MI6 agent, James Bond needs to blend in amongst: Fortune 500 billionaires, oligarchs, oil tycoons, and international royalty – as well as other rich and powerful figures. Sean Connery always managed to play the character with a dash of poshness, actuated by the refined edge of 007, a characteristic lifted directly from the pages of Ian Flemming’s novels.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
If there's a better film with Jeff Bridges in the leading role — I'm absolutely sure — I don't know what it is. 'The Big Lebowski' is a mind-bending, hilarity inducing, neo-noir crime-dramedy with nihilistic and absurd overtones, and some pretty absurd nihilists as well.
What I mean to say is this; the movie is bizarre – in the best kind of way.
The Coen. Bros directed this underground hit, which went on to become one of the most popular cult films ever made. 'The Big Lebowski' may even have spawned an entire culture of hipsters, ushering in the era of beard wax and men's shaving clubs. It's a film that screams "quirky" in a way that lets you know it's not f**cking around. If you expected a straight-up narrative with formulaic characters and archetypes, look somewhere else.