kailomonkey Reviews

Free Guy (2021)

Not bad fun times

[8/10 · 16 August 2021]

As a programmer and life-long gamer it was pretty believable with of course a few liberties taken. It doesn't quite play out as you'd expect from the trailer which is nice. Some aspects near the end felt a bit hurried to maintain the pace for the finale.

Not much else I can say without spoilers. The acting's great, the funnies are great, the theme is solid. Go see it!

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Great sequel, loved the original, love this!

[10/10 · 2 December 2018]

The trailers and Disney's history with sequels had me worried that Wreck-It Ralph in the Internet might let me down. I was wrong and the film is great, full of comedic technology references to games and sites. Ralph and Venellope's friendship is the centre of the story and every detail is entertaining and ingenius.

The only point I would seriously make in criticism is that before the finale Ralph and Venellope conflict in a way that appeared to me a little reduced for simplicity and younger viewers, undermining their characters a little. It resolves the (controlling relationship) theme mostly in said finale but cops out a bit in terms of drama and kinda does throughout.

This is the first Walt Disney Animation Studio animated movie sequel that uses the same writing/directing team as the original and it shows in that they ditched 2 less good initial scripts and went with one that was more true to the characters and the original. It also shows in the highest quality in most every detail right down to the credits.

Fifty Shades Freed (2018)

It's a joke and I was laughing

[6/10 · 18 March 2018]

I reviewed the first two movies and although the first was expectedly lackluster, I didn't hate it. The second actually had quite a lot going on and I rated it well, with the acting improved. This third movie has maintained the level of acting but the script has us rushed into relationship drama so fast it's actually hilarious! Without really spoiling things, every so often someone comes out with a teenage girl's typical imagining of what couples would argue about which comes off as the characters just being drama-centric. I did actually enjoy the movie but I was laughing to myself a lot!

Justice League (2017)

A fine watch.

[8/10 · 17 November 2017]

Justice League is a lot faster moving than Dawn of Justice and a lot less torn apart than Suicide Squad. It hits the mark the same as Wonder Woman in being palatable and giving some of the heart back to our old superhero friends.

Batman and Wonder Woman are back and are pretty good. Aqua Man has a great attitude. The Flash is a slightly unfunny kid. Green Lantern only appears in a flashback and the fifth member of the league is instead Cyborg in his early development who is black and unnecessarily played for race humour.

The villain starts off okay but he isn't focused on very well at all and despite being more powerful than each individual, I felt he could have been defeated by the above 5 heroes combined. However they go ahead and bring Superman back making the villain zero challenge which is the biggest problem the film has.

Rant time. Doomsday in the previous Justice film was a suitably epic foe that required Superman's involvement but this foe really didn't need Superman resurrected yet and me having avoided trailers, them doing so surprised me. Fair enough the reason was partly pinned to Batman's guilt but with a foe already on the scene, it just seemed irresponsible to risk bringing a rogue Superman into the picture.

It also surprised me from a larger franchise point of view as the foe, as I've said, could have easily been defeated by a bit of effort by the other 5. They could have kept Superman returning for the next movie at least, with a much larger fight on their hands. This leads to another issue which was probably in the comics too, that Superman is over powered. He's not a great team member as he overshadow's everyone's abilities being as fast as The Flash etc. All the more reason to leave him dead as long as possible. Anyway that's the personal rant over. I do think they dented their opportunity to make lots of character focused movies which I would love to have seen, but understand they might not have the confidence in the results from past experiences which is a shame.

Overall this movie was quite agreeable. I loved the rogue Superman even though it didn't last long. They treated Superman well (he's my favourite superhero/character) and redeemed both him and Batman from their broody hatred of one-another. A fine watch.

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)

all the main ponies sounded the same but was otherwise good

[8/10 · 6 November 2017]

Only real problem I had with this movie as a viewer of the series is that all the main character ponies all sounded like the same voice actor for some reason? I know there are overlaps of voice acting in the main show as 4 actors for the 6 main characters but for some reason it sounded like they were all the same voice in the movie. Maybe they only used 1 of the 4 actors? Or maybe the writing was poor and didn't allow for the actors to individually represent the characters? Who knows...

Anyway, everything else about the movie was what you'd expect from an MLPFIS movie. The series has better episodes but many worse episodes so that leaves it pretty good :) The voice acting thing was easy to overlook.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

ready and primed for infinity wars

[9/10 · 6 November 2017]

After I read somewhere a comment that Thor Ragnarok was doing the same old Marvel things as expected and was "funny"; 2 things that have annoyed me about some of the marvel movies... I actually felt encouraged to go watch the movie to see for myself. Boy were they wrong...

There is quite a lot of humour in the movie but it works. There are various character tie-ins from other films but it works. The comedy isn't slapped on awkwardly it's part of the feel of the film and as for doing the same thing as previous marvel movies, I have to disagree...

Throwing Thor into an all out distopian scifi world is something I've never seen for Thor or the other heroes before. This review might not be useful but it gets out my thoughts on the film.

Anyway most the film was a great spectacle. Some of the main plot points were very obvious from the set up. Finally Thor (and others) is fully tied in to the scifi universe ready to combine with the guardians of the galaxy and all sorts of craziness.

If you haven't watched a minimum of certain movies from the marvel universe you might be a bit lost as a viewer though. On the other hand if you've followed ALL the Marvel titles you'll be ready and primed for infinity wars after this movie...

Mother! (2017)

Silent Hill game lovers should watch this

[10/10 · 20 September 2017]

Slow, cryptic, dark-comedy peering into the head/life of a writer's young wife. The whole film is from her perspective and we watch as her power over what happens in their house is constantly undermined and trampled on. It isn't a film to take literally and the experiences are either boiled into a shorter time to represent many things that have happened over a long time, or the experiences are largely contorted in the protagonist's head.

This means that the frequency of events makes them unbelievable to a dark-comedic level and many events seem less literal. Personally I enjoyed the bizarre experience and would highly recommend it to Silent Hill lovers (the games not the movies).

Wonder Woman (2017)

better than expected

[10/10 · 28 June 2017]

This movie was better than I expected. To give you a background to my expectations: DC Superhero films of late haven't been great. I enjoyed Dawn of Justice with its slow arty style but probably wouldn't rewatch. Suicide Squad was terrible as it didn't live up to the style and pace of the trailer and it seemed cut to ribbons perhaps after the bad reception of their slow moving previous film. Wonder Woman's arrival in Dawn of Justice was perhaps the best moment but I also found it a bit cringe-worthy. All this gave me a feeling of uncertainty over whether DC superheroes could pull off a good movie...

But they did! Sure the boat scene went on a bit long, I understand it was meant to be awkward but it hung on it awkwardly too... But the rest of the movie was grand; in its mythical location and the protagonist's power. The main villain was kind of off-putting holding onto his human face, perhaps he could have transformed. Also having to have love as our female protagonist's core value seemed sexist but... It was really good to see a return to superheroes with values. Superman used to be about values but now he's just a strong superhuman. Wonder Woman fills the void in having a few classic superhero moments, and in coming to terms with humanities evils, something a lot of the real world is forced to struggle with these days more than ever.

Action was pretty good, I can never stand the lets-pointlessly- throw-each-other-into-things trope often used in action movies which did happen near the end, but at least it soon moved on.

Raw (2016)

Unsettling parallels to fetish and other modern issues

[9/10 · 13 April 2017]

This is a sort of art horror film. It's not as overtly sickening or brutal as you might expect from the press and trailers but it has enough that if any of that gives you cause to keep yourself from being sick, after the film is finished after 2 hours that feeling may linger...

Well that is my personal experience. I spent most the film trying to pin down what the film was trying to parallel but really it seemed to be trying to relate to a whole host of modern coming of age issues, and in unresolved ways to feed on your fears; hence the tick box for being horror.

So getting down to spoilers without particulars, the film sort of brushes on fetishism, the sexuality spectrum, drunken expression of yourself, abuse from your peers, being ordered by parents instead of informed, adults not having all the answers, freshman fears, sibling rivalry, dark family secrets... all very unsettling elements which only add to the more fantastical main theme which, although only a little forced at times, did a pretty good job at melding with reality to push our questions over getting the taste for human flesh into a state of suspended disbelief enough to uncomfortably forget that these are all special effects, given the chance.

Beauty and the Beast (I) (2017)

Great conversion of the original. Emma Watson a bit out of place.

[9/10 · 24 March 2017]

Watched this one yesterday and in my opinion, it came off way better than the modern jungle book remake. The CGI animation is much better suited to this story while keeping the essence intact. The movie didn't always carry the right momentum and the new songs were a bit hit and miss, but that sits in line with the original songs which were fun and memorable but half the time a bit sing-what-you-could- just-say-or-are-doing, but perfectly passable relative to its predecessor.

The main thing that let the movie down for me was Emma Watson. I don't think she's a bad actress or have anything personal against her, but most the time her sort of face squint she does isn't what we want to see. She tries to hard to act, sometimes this works in strong emotional scenes, but most the time she's supposed to represent an innocence she just doesn't seem to have. The last foible is that at times her interaction with all-CG elements including The Beast, look awkward and displaced. Mostly this isn't the case, but sometimes it is and it is off-putting. That's not to say it's all her fault: it could be down to direction that things are left wrong...

Despite the issues I have with Belle, she still carries the story perfectly well and the film is just as enjoyable as the older Disney animation. Excellent use of our current age of technology and the songs still feel right at home.

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Romance, relationship drama

[9/10 · 14 March 2017]

Full disclosure, I didn't think the first movie was as bad as it was made out to be. It wasn't good in almost any sense, but it was to be expected given the combination of source material, resources and constraints.

That said, this sequel is 20x better than the first. Having established the characters in the first movie, the actors seem to be able to act now comfortably in their parts. The story becomes much more nuanced with plenty of dynamics on the go.

SPOILERS from now on

Can they maintain a "vanilla" relationship? Is he going to become controlling again and ruin things? Will she let it get out of control and ruin things also or stay on it? Who is that stalky girl and what happened to her exactly? what about his mother? and that ex of his? Will something occur with her infatuated boss?

On top of all of this, I realised while watching that the series was never about a bizarre sadist control freak, it's actually about all men and the story of a woman trying to find the balance between accepting or desiring the dominant behaviour of the male archetype and maintaining strength and independence in such a relationship.

While of course the fact that he is rich, while possibly relating to the power struggle, looks like it is going to be more and more used for generating further drama. The romance is much more evident in this movie to/

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

What do you expect

[6/10 · 14 March 2017]

I thought I wrote a review of this film at the time but evidently I did not. All I can say to help you enjoy this movie or not hate it is, what do you expect? It's a kind of trashy, pretty pornographic book put onto a cinema friendly big screen...

You're not going to get full on sexual content because the 18 certificate doesn't allow it, so of course the sex isn't going to live up to the books. The book itself revolves tightly around the 2 main characters (as far as I know) and their SPOILERS relationship/sexual contract and indeed, that's what you get.

The acting doesn't seem great and the toned down sexual content could easily disappoint viewers expecting better, but if you go in expecting these things as I did, it's a lot less offensive than people seem to be finding it. I'd say the worse things about it are the main female character's acting, she can be pretty annoying to watch, and her Lip-Biting-Count although even that is only about 3... but that is already 2 too much.

You might not agree with my review or find it useful, but that's my view on the movie. Quite dull and annoying characters, very insular, but basically does what you'd expect given the constraints of the transfer... That said, I'm writing this after just having seen the second movie which is actually way better and develops into a more normal story of romance and drama.

The Cleveland Show (2009–2013)

Better later on?

[8/10 · 1 February 2017]

When I first watched this show which was when it first came out it just seemed like a poor self-imitation of the main show. It went for a similar set of family characters as family guy which they'd already done with American dad, and selling us all those characters was pretty painful. The whole 'black show' thing seemed doomed to failure by simply being insulting to the audience it might also be trying to appeal to. It didn't make a lot of sense.

So I didn't watch it.

However, I don't know what happened in-between, but I watched a couple episodes the other day which were perfectly good! I don't know how late in the series they were (which was canceled after 88 episodes) but it looks like the show got comfortable with its characters and learned how to use them right. Perhaps the show suffered from its early poor image and never recovered, hence it being canceled.

I therefore recommend to you and myself to give later seasons a try. Avoid the first few episodes maybe even the first season though, but I do need to watch more comprehensively to be completely accurate in season terms. In the meantime...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Better than the episodes

[7/10 · 19 December 2016]

I preferred this to the force awakens. It was more focused location- wise and it's a much better idea for me than the episodes in general outside of the first 3 which didn't seem focused in terms of events either.

It may have been full of holes, shallow cameos of the first film and enough big star wars things to remove their impact in Star Wars films for years to come... But it's still better than the complete tangents the episodes go off on.

SPOILERS I like that everyone dies, that's my kind of result, but at the same some there were some cool characters I would have liked to see again. I guess they're gonna have to make prequels of this prequel if I want to see them again. The only moment where I really felt the effect of what you could call fan service, was the darth vader bit near the end where he comes in kicking ass. Even then I was soon like, this is fun so fair enough, but it was very blatant in its insertion.

Jack and Jill (I) (2011)

Uncomfortable cringing comedy...

[7/10 · 15 November 2016]

This movie has plenty of laughs but it has some things that you are unlikely to be willing to sit through. The problems are these:

1. Adam Sandlers female counterpart is plain offensive to women and I think the Jewish? In a way that is uncomfortable.

2. Adam Sandler's acting talking to himself is naturally not fluid. It is uncomfortable.

3. A lot of supposed humour comes from horribly prejudice comments made by the characters. Such that even if you thought you'd sit down and watch a bad movie... continuing with the viewing would make you feel wrong and uncomfortable.

That said I got through this movie and found some random cut away type jokes quite funny. It doesn't stop it being awkward but I do have one thought about how you could enjoy this film better... Well making a comedy that is just offensive is discomforting but we can all see what archetypal movie we're going for here. What if this film was actually just that movie made as a serious drama with a few jokes thrown in there, but the main characters are really portrayed so badly that the serious story turns to uncomfortable character jokes? If you can view it through these eyes where there is a shallow but sensitive story being told about 2 awful human beings that learn to stop being hateful to each other and everyone else, and try to forgive that it is framed as an all out comedy, enjoying only the side-comedy for laughs... Then you might make it to the end without feeling dirty. Maybe. Good luck though!

Doctor Strange (2016)

Better Than Inception

[10 November 2016]

Why compare this movie to Inception? Well the city-bending special effects are way more prolific in this movie than Inception, which sold itself on such effects being in the trailers. That's a good thing, but it also made as little sense. Who cares though as this film is pure fantasy and it's SO packed with effects you won't care about its flaws; like why are they bending cities around to almost no effect. You can bend a city but you can't trap anyone? Are you doing all this just to show off what you can do? Who are you showing off to?

Overall an enjoyable movie packed full of these things but I don't think it makes it great. The imagery works for the film blending ancient magic and current times, but it's not Cumberbatch's best role and there are a lot of standardised movie comedy lines given to him which disrespect his great acting ability. Well placed being released before bonfire night here in the UK as a lot of sparkler sort of effects and such.

So should you see this movie? Of course, it's Doctor Strange! Will you love it? Probably. Did I like it? Yes. Was I astounded? No. Am I making any worth while point? Not really. Just go see it, enjoy it as much as you want to. He will show up in future Marvel Cinematic Universe films so you may as well get his intro movie watched.

Sausage Party (2016)

Adult satire of Toy Story

[8/10 · 30 August 2016]

I'm not sure how I'm going to write a review for this. It seems natural just to describe its main points and personal opinion on those points but that's more an extension of the movie summary, isn't it? So I'll try to review it in film terms.

Well the plot is quite simple and the humour is basic distaste sort of humour. The message is very clearly anti-religious and yet the alternatives presented are either negative or questionable. I'd go so far as to say it is aimed at viewers of the anti-religion, anti- morality persuasion... If you are not such a viewer you may struggle to enjoy the movie, unless you are the thinking kind, in which case you may well find it challenging.

The idea of food being alive (unlike toys) is actually incredibly disturbing from an eating point of view and could put you off eating ever again if you are 5 and watching this. It is a 15 in Britain so that's unlikely, and R-rated elsewhere. For some of the end content I'd only recommend it to adults really.

I'm still not sure what to say. It was OK but a lot of the stereotypes were typical. I don't want to spoil a lot either but it has its trippy moments. The horror movie factor seen in the trailer was quite minimal and more sexually explicit part was brisk, probably all for rating/release issues. Certainly had its funny points and definite;y hits the smut-meter.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Mediocre

[3/10 · 28 August 2016]

If you've seen this movie you might find "mediocre" a rather generous review word. When you compare the movie to what it appeared to want to be, a highly stylised anti-hero movie full of the joys of pop icons on a roller-coaster of cool, it comes out pretty mediocre.

The script was not well written or delivered, the whole thing was full of holes too glaring to dismiss, the whole anti-hero thing didn't work at all because they just tried to make them heroes... Whereas if they were kick-ass villains doing their villain thing a lot more the film could have worked on the premise it set out.

SPOILERS: The fact that the government woman getting attacked was the satisfying bit... Just shows how confused the good guy bad guy thing was.

OK so we could have complex bad-guys who are good intentioned or driven to evil etc. But none of that was pulled off well. Harley Quinn is supposed to be crazy but in order to spit out an easy generic piece of smeg script, her and all the others have pretty normal emotional responses despite being supposed psychopaths. Harley says she's crazy but about the only crazy she actually acts out is going along with story elements because OK.

The final villain fight was set up like a lame ass video-game, dread the video-game if there is one. Everything cool that could have happened was always taken away just to allow Harley the victory and make the team useful for their individual input. This really isn't the dream team, they don't have to function well together, they're villains, not working well together can be their downfall ready for when they face the justice league. Stop making this a superhero movie! It's meant to be a bad guy anarchy movie...

They showed us the witch stuff straight away then insisted on a half-arsed flash back to show "what happened" who was that for?? We the audience had already seen it! If you want to show us the flash back to reveal some twist, keep us along for the ride; in the dark. If that would leave us confused as to what's going on and you have to show us, then just don't do a reveal montage on top of that, that reveals nothing!

The whole 'I can give you what you want' thing was ridiculously executed whereby they clearly weren't being fooled they were just dreaming pretty much. If the things they were experiencing were happening in the actual location they were at they'd be sucked in, but no they were sucked in by a complete fantasy (except when deadshot sees his daughter telling him not to shoot) and only reminded by fire guy at some point.

A positive point here. At least when boyfriend guy has to take the action to kill his dream of having his girlfriend back finally tied together that whole 'get what you really want' thing. That could have left us with a really sad and informative reason that these guys are bad guys never getting what they feel they need in life and being all bitter and that. But no, they had to spoil that too with a happy ending that makes Harley smile like she has normal human emotions, yet again!

What else. The machine of floating garbage that never forms but can zap stuff when she's a witch who could just do that anyway. The dumb-ass bomb thing that I already scraped upon for combining different character's skills. Basic as all flying frig. The only reason for that explosion to cause everything to come back in (unless I'm missing a specific skill of this bomb) is if it killed the witch or damaged her enough to reverse her magic somehow. In which case it would be thrown at her not the clouds that is her magic machine above her.

Why all the massive holes. Why all the simplified elements. Was this made for 8 year olds? Because the certificate here in England is 15. For a 15 those generic 'we can cut them up because fantasy' enemies could have been a lot more person-like. Character introduction at the beginning of the film was the simplest possible, and hung unfairly on Harley. I know she's the one we're really interested in, but don't be a dick to everyone else in public, that's just not on!

All these bad plays could have been glossed over if they at least came off as constant bad-ass villains with well written and performed lines of script and fast paced iconic poses and action. But no. Mediocre. Having written vaguely about just some of the things that make this film crap, the word seems generous even to me. But no, I won't give it the satisfaction of calling it a terrible bad movie. It is what it is... Just a shame it isn't.

Mediocre.

The BFG (2016)

It's okay

[5/10 · 29 July 2016]

This version is nothing compared to the older animated version. That said I think children watching it may well find it as enchanting as we adults found the animated one when we saw it.

It misses a few beats and is much the same as the original, the girl's acting or at least the way her lines are cut in aren't that fluid. Easily overlooked I suppose...

All the 3D rendered graphics look nice and pretty and it's not overly scary by its new form. SPOILER the farting in the palace scene was way underplayed and could have been the making of the film had it been allowed to ride out.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Joy and Awesomeness

[10/10 · 16 July 2016]

This film doesn't take itself too seriously or follow the original in any serious way, but is instead a beautifully funny homage to the original that is done SO well. I really can't see how anyone coming out of this movie could have anything bad to say about it.

OK if I think about mainstream taste versus alternative taste perhaps this film was just too happy and tongue in cheek for the general populous. It's not even a remake, it's more of an addition to the series and it's so humorous. The effects are awesome and colourful like joy in a can and the changes are crazy. The only other reasons I can see for not liking this movie is an expectation of seeing the original redone in the exact same way with new effects.

That or some people can't stand to see the jarring difference of women actually playing great roles for a change. Which while I'm on it, I do enjoy the recent bouts of chick comedies so maybe that explains why I got the humour. I love it. Balls to the wall crazy.

I will admit there were a couple moments that missed the beat for me for a moment, basically when things had to get serious for a moment and I didn't want to stop laughing or when they had to stick to a moment from the original film and not play it for laughs. But those moments were rare and very soon put back on track.

One other thought is that I don't like most remakes of late, so if you do like remakes maybe this is the wrong kind of remake for you. Rather than making everything darker and more serious as most become, it does the complete opposite. Don't see it as a remake or reboot, but a lot of fun. Also yes the villain is a bit scooby doo but I can let that go.

Shenmue (1999 Video Game)

cult classic

[8/10 · 6 October 2015]

This game did a lot of things new for its time and is now a cult classic. By the maker of the arcade game Virtua Fighter 3 among others, he was rewarded with free reign to make a completely unique game for the Dreamcast, SEGA's last console that saw a great year of innovative game releases. Shenmue and its sequel are perhaps the most revered of all those games.

The game lets you run free round a limited but highly programmed set of environments interacting with objects and people all while day/night, season and weather change around you as you slowly uncover the mystery of your situation and pursue revenge. While some areas of the game can waste your time, the level of connection you forge with the environment and characters keep you involved and the addictive beauty of the real-time changing world keeps you hooked.

At the time of release it was at its height of technology but it has aged relatively well while also having a lot of retro charm in its styles. However, it does require your patience.

The game's action involves a combo deep combat system similar to Virtua Fighter games as well as minor combat situations and other fast action moments being dealt with by quick time events (QTE). This is where a button shows on screen to be pressed straight away to succeed at an action, and people generally love QTEs or hate them, but I think they're used well and sparingly in Shenmue.

A feature I love is being able to play a couple SEGA arcade games in full at the arcade within the game although my personal favourite doesn't appear until Shenmue 2. The game is heavily Japanese which feels very authentic. If you don't have the time to invest as a working adult to play, you can find longplay videos online totalling about 8 hours to get an idea of the experience without the full emersion or shortened story videos for highlights.

So yeah, this is a cult classic and worth looking into, but decide your level of interest as acquiring the game for dreamcast can be difficult or costly.

Rugrats (1991–2003)

smart and entertaining

[10/10 · 6 October 2015]

I loved this show in the 90s. It probably started my conviction in enjoying shows that can give the wrong impression but are actually smart and entertaining to older viewers.

Rugrats is about a group of babies (but not made for babies). They can talk to one-another but not adults, with toddlers being a middle ground who can talk fully with either, much like Stewie in family guy today. The show is also full of references, mostly to movies and TV.

Their greatest enemy is fear resulting from misunderstanding, often exacerbated by their older toddler cousin who likes messing with them, or simply imagined enemies in their games that come to life like a vivid long cutaway.

As time went on they eventually added more characters to the baby mix which weakened the show and going back to the earliest episodes the show started quite different with no speaking sections perhaps actually aimed at a young audience. However at its height Rugrats was one of the smartest and most entertaining animations on TV.

Captive (II) (2015)

trash mixed with troubling truths

[5/10 · 30 September 2015]

On reading the synopsis I wasn't sure how they were going to pull off a movie about a captive converting a convict. Based on a true story it seems they pulled it off by mostly skimming it and delivering a fairly straight criminal/hostage movie.

To me it is sad that this is a true story because once it was done it went to Oprah and the facts, and I didn't see the black male convict being interviewed and celebrated. In fact the purpose driven life he gained was to in fact not see his son until he becomes 18 and chooses to do so. If it were a fiction I would have liked to see the captive fighting to make sure that man saw his son, or at least shown that the mother of his son then made contact and facilitated communication and a relationship between father and son.

Without this information the story is a sad one, which would be fine, but it is framed as good for everyone despite the obvious. He even gives her her phone, a clear sign of relenting himself to the authorities, yet he doesn't give himself up. Was this confused storytelling or did he intend to give up but got scared again? We don't know because it's not even hinted at.

I love the idea of this movie but what it delivers is trash mixed with troubling truths.

Grand Theft Auto V (2013 Video Game)

flawless and full of flaws

[10/10 · 30 September 2015]

I love Rockstar Games and the whole Grand Theft Auto series. I'm a fanboy. And this is the most beautifully stylised and replayable GTA game yet! But all that polish is hiding some flaws.

The state of San Andreas is gorgeous but the previous San Andreas housed 3 cities whereas this focuses on 1. This makes sense to focus play and development but was still a disappointment.

The 3 single player protagonists are great in representing the before (Franklin), after (Michael) and player (Trevor). They represent 3 types of GTA protagonist in 1 game but Franklin's story seems kind of tacked on. He has an enemy at the end we've hardly been affected by, he quickly abandons his ghetto home and hood life removing the potential of that side of Los Santos and he's generally easy going all the time.

The multiplayer is great and well supported bringing the game replayability beyond GTAIV. You can live there. You can act like a GTA thug (most seem to anyway). For me I just like to drive, race and develop my own races. And I still do that years after the game was released. But the online takes so dang long to connect and load, sometimes timing out or crashing. Just getting a race going can take you 10-20 minutes sometimes and as for heists, there's always more people hosting than joining resulting in constant stalemate unless you have a real world crew to work with... and then it can crash anyway.

The 100% completion in single player is varied and vast but fatal game bugs can halt side mission progress leaving you at 98% after days of hard work and the golf club businesses cost so much the ONLY way to get the cash is to rig stock market during certain missions. Did you miss it? Tough poop. Play the whole game again and do it by the guide if you want to complete it fully you lazy beach bum!

Return of kill frenzy, improved strip club, animal hunting, psycho Trevor and his torture techniques, Michael's stressful family, flash cars, more guns, LA beaches... So many plus points it's no wonder the flaws are easily ignored. And I still love it. GTA San Andreas might still be the best single player GTA game but it's looking dated now, and GTAV is still looking fresh and being played. Good for you voiceless online protagonist, good for you.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010–2020)

abstract absurd enjoyment/disdain

[8/10 · 30 September 2015]

I recently watched from s1e1 and found the show varied in quality. What I love about the show: abstract, positive, colourful, fantasy adventure, 80s style end lessons, modern cross-gender cross-generation writing animation appeal. Dislikes: when the writing animation style disappears (see seasons below), humour and characters become shallow, stories can get predictable.

Season 1 starts off strong with the first 8 episodes involving either character development and/or fantasy adventure elements. The next 4 are tear jerkers. The rest become more comfortable with the formula and begin establishing more repeated characters. Whole season full of rainbows and joy for the viewer. 9/10

Season 2 begins and ends with strong double episodes that introduce new villains, perils and magic. 10/10 Unfortunately the 22 episodes inbetween appear to have different writing and animation styles as if contracted out as fillers. 3/10 Whole season 5/10

Season 3 shows a return to form with strong writing and animation styles returned. All episodes are tear jerkers a little and in places the canon is added to. Short season of 13 episodes compared to 26 each previously and occasional flaws in writing. 7.5/10

Season 4 has better continuity over the season, more abstract adventure, references, mostly better character use and lots of rainbows, magic and joy. The bookend episodes are again the most important but this season delivers the most consistent pony experience so far. 9.5/10

Season 5 reviews coming (when watched)

Conclusion. With its variable episode quality this isn't what has made people fans. I'd suggest that it's the abstract absurd in flash animation that appeals to our current generation popularised by family and adult cartoons, minus the vulgarity such that you might love this series (proudly or quietly). That said its variable quality stories and magical ponies setting might lead you to decide this isn't for you (or anyone your age and/or gender). Each to their own enjoyment/disdain.