7.7/10
纪录行动公园 (2020) 豆瓣 维基数据 IMDb Eggplant.place TMDB
Class Action Park
5.8 (5 个评分) 导演: Seth Porges / Chris Charles Scott III 演员: 约翰尼·诺克斯维尔 / 克里斯·格哈德
其它标题: 클래스 액션 파크 / Class Action Park
重点讲述一个传奇的危险水上乐园,以及一系列伤亡和犯罪以及儿童安全问题。
2021年6月19日 看过
2021年6月19日 评论 a review of Class Action Park - Striking artwork aside, what drew me to this little documentary was having previously watched Action Point , a raunchy slapstick comedy led by Johnny Knoxville said to have been based on an actual amusement park. After witnessing those crazy stunts and the ridiculous deathtraps they called "rides" I naturally became very curious about the place they supposedly based all of it on, because surely it couldn't have been real, right? Turns out it could have! And it was just a wild, absurd, dangerous, and strangely magical as you might expect. Through interviews with former attendees and employees alike we get a look at the insanity of "Action Park" and how it operated. It definitely feels like the kind of stuff you'd see in an over-the-top comedy and is a blast to learn about. At least until things get dark. The docu in no way glosses over the shadier aspects of the madness, be it the corruption behind-the-scenes or the deaths that occured as a result of the owner's negligence. The former is kind of surface level to avoid confusing the audience with a whole bunch of legal mumbo jumbo, but for the latter we get an emotional accounting from one of the deceased's family. It's a tonal 180 to be sure. One that kind of misses the mark as the film tries to go for a "the freedom of the '80s was great, kids today are whimps" message immediately after. It's this kind of thing that keeps it from sitting alongside the likes of Kedi or Aliens of the Deep as both fun AND educational. Not that you won't walk away informed, it's just that all you'll really be getting are a bunch of facts and amusing insights in lieu of any deeper meaning. That proves to not be too much of a problem though, as the topic at hand is interesting and entertaining enough to make what it does offer worth watching regardless. Plus, it may make for a nice double feature with Action Point , as I can now fully appreciate what a fantastic job Knoxville and crew did at capturing the spirit of their inspiration.
7.7/10
X战警2 (2003) TMDB IMDb Min reol Eggplant.place 豆瓣 维基数据
X2
7.4 (749 个评分) 导演: 布莱恩·辛格 演员: 帕特里克·斯图尔特 / 休·杰克曼
其它标题: X2 / 变种特攻2(港)
在一次政治要人遭到暗杀后,所有的矛头又一次指向变种人。这一次,X教授也感到压力大增,以致于跟美国总统都要就此事进行磋商。一个拥有很高声誉的前将军,率领着反对变种人的联盟连续对X教授施压。万磁王在这种情况下,不得不寻找与X教授联手抵抗前将军的方式。金钢狼的身世也将进一步揭晓。
2020年11月22日 看过
2020年11月22日 评论 a review of X战警2 - There's a sense of continuity between the original two Brian Singer X-Men films that we've only seen superhero cinema replicate once in the years that followed with the MCU's Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame . X2 picks up the thread exactly where its predecessor left off. There's not even really a new threat here. Rather we're just seeing the next natural evolution of the conflict they were already involved in. This quality of telling one ongoing story, whereas its peers from Marvel and DC treat each successive release as an entirely new adventure, is one of the aspects that make the early entries in this series stand out from the pack. Another is how the real enemy these heroes fight against isn't the supervillain Magneto's "Brotherhood" or even the crazed military colonel trying to weaponize and annihilate them. It's the ignorance, fear, and close-minded nature of the world they live in. It's easy to draw parallels between the mutant's plight and that of real life issues like racism and homophobia. The interesting thing about this property is that its approach to exploring these issues has always shown the evils prevalent on BOTH sides of discrimination. Obviously the humans are at fault for their treatment of a people they don't understand, but the X-Men franchise also condemns those who would seek to meet intolerance with an aggression that only reinforces negative stereotypes and puts further walls between us. The message these characters have tried to teach us over the years is that the only way we will all be able to achieve a sense of unity and harmony that transcends our differences is through understanding, patience, and education. A moral that makes the original comics and movies even more significant today in a time where so many are attempting to combat hatred with even more hatred. Like any good sequel, X2 dives deeper into its world and characters. Which is compelling and interesting from a narrative standpoint, but all of this extra storytelling makes for a less exciting watch overall. There are essentially three different plot threads going on. The main one is great, but the other two leave a bit to be desired. We get to learn more about Wolverine's origin, but none of that ever feels terribly substantial and kind of ends up going nowhere. We also get some obligatory sequel setup centered around Jean Grey that will likely leave anyone not familiar with the source material wondering what the heck all that nonsense was about once the credits roll. Of all the X-Men movies this might be the one that nails the whole team dynamic the best. Hugh Jackman still basically carries all of the action sequences, but the rest of the time his role in the story feels no larger than that of his peers. This is the first time I've actually found myself somewhat overlooking Wolverine in one of these films because of how many impactful moments were written for the other characters. X2 proves to still be a solid blockbuster after all this time and may even be more relevant than ever due to its themes and underlying subtext. It definitely suffers from being a definitive middle chapter (meaning nothing of real consequence actually happens) and is perhaps not as action-packed as its predecessor overall. Yet, it still does a lot that modern superhero flicks could stand to learn from, and because of that held up better upon this revisitation than most of the MCU and DCEU catalogue will be able to when the same amount of time passes for them.
7.7/10
使徒 (2018) 维基数据 IMDb 豆瓣 TMDB
Apostle
6.1 (47 个评分) 导演: 加雷斯·埃文斯 演员: 丹·史蒂文斯 / 麦克·辛
其它标题: Apostle / 복수의 사도
麦克·辛加盟加雷斯·埃文斯自编自导的惊悚片[使徒],同时加盟的演员还包括露西·宝通、比尔·米尔纳、克里斯汀·弗劳赛斯,此前“大表哥”丹·史蒂文斯已确定参演。故事讲述一个男人因妹妹被邪教份子绑架,决定独闯龙潭、实施复仇计划的故事。
2018年12月2日 看过
2018年12月2日 评论 a review of 使徒 - Like mother! only the director wasn't trying so hard to offend. On top of the exploration of religion's potential for bringing out the dark side in people, there's a strong message about the raping and manipulation of mother nature. It's also a very graphic movie. Savagely violent and filled with truly disturbing moments. What separates Apostle from the aforementioned Darren Aronofsky film though is that it's nowhere near as repulsive. Despite being similar thematically and in content this simply isn't as vile in delivery. So it's able to maintain an edge and sense of shock value without being as abrasive. Essentially having it's cake and eating it too. Gareth Evans makes a rather large departure here from the martial arts films that gave him his name. There are a few brief instances of the raw, calculated motion that can be seen in The Raid and its sequel, but one shouldn't start watching this with the expectation of a lot of action. This is a horror film of the slow-burn variety. Naturally this means that things can kind of move at a snail's pace. There are gruesome moments, glimpses of the supernatural, a whole lot of mystery, and strong character work to hold your attention. So it's never boring, but there are some stretches where nothing all that exciting happens. It plays out like Black Death with touches of Silent Hill and Saw . You get a masked brute that calls Pyramid Head to mind and rusty torture devices on top of all the cult stuff. It's an odd amalgam of horror styles to be sure, but Evans blends them all together in a way that feels natural. Not everything plot-wise feels fully fleshed out. Mostly just the little stuff. Like the protagonist's addiction for example. It has no actual impact on anything as he easily kicks it with no problems. We already know he's a messed up guy from the moment he appears onscreen because Dan Stevens is just that good with body language, so it seems like a useless inclusion. The same can be said for most of his backstory actually. Apostle might not be as seamless as the director's action movies, but it's no less gripping. A dark, violent movie with some beautiful and surreal imagery. It has a lot to offer. Especially as an easier to swallow version of mother!.
7.7/10
惊心食人族 (2001) IMDb 豆瓣 TMDB 维基数据
Jeepers Creepers
5.6 (30 个评分) 导演: 维克多·萨尔瓦 演员: 吉娜·菲利普斯 / 贾斯汀·朗
其它标题: Jeepers Creepers / 毛骨悚然
翠施(吉娜·菲利普斯 Gina Philips 饰)与戴利(贾斯汀·朗 Justin Long 饰)姐弟俩正驾车行驶在乡村公路上返家度假,无聊的二人彼此唇枪舌剑解闷,突然,一辆老旧肮脏的货车试图超车,令二人紧张一场。不久他们看到从货车上下来的人在路边小屋前,将一包带着血迹的东西丢入了一个管道,姐弟二人好奇心大起,不顾刚才被货车追逐的经历,悄悄返回小屋查看。戴利落入管道,发现包裹中居然是腹中被缝入了不明物体的活人,大惊失色的戴利与翠施迅速驾车离开,但一个长着翅膀的鬼影开始一路追踪他们。姐弟俩向路上遇到的各种人求助,这却使这场噩梦般的经历变得更加骇人……
2018年10月10日 看过
2018年10月10日 评论 a review of 惊心食人族 - You know the part in scary movies where somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it. There is a vein of self-awareness running through Jeepers Creepers that makes some of the sillier stuff in it easier to swallow. Like how the Creeper dances over a moving car as if it's in a Japanese martial art movie or Justin Long's stupefied looks of sheer terror that are quite amusing to behold. You can tell real-life monster Victor Salva knows his horror movies. There are knowing winks to genre trappings and some clever spins on typically frustrating plot-devices that make them noticeably less irritating. Such as managing to make the two protagonist's misguided exploration of events they could easily have walked away from safely feel much less stupid because of their altruistic motives. This feels a lot like a Stephen King story. More so than some of the actual adaptations of his work. We get some well-drawn characters, a unique threat in a great setting, and one psychic old lady. Gina Philips and Justin Long make believable siblings thanks to some excellent back-and-forth banter. Their conversations about parents and relationship trouble back at school makes them feel like real people and not your typical horror fodder. Every gruesome new detail revealed about it's sickening antagonist makes it all the more distinctive and intriguing. The movie is never frightening though. As original and demented as it's title creature is in behavior and motive, it's appearance simply isn't scary. Sometimes shining a light on the monsters makes them even more terrifying as you get to witness all their horrific qualities in full force. Jeepers Creepers has the opposite effect. The more I saw of the Creeper, the less menacing it became. Luckily as the Creeper becomes less freaky, the action continues to ramp up and we begin to see just how unstoppable the creature really is. Some gruesome and grotesque moments combined with the strong cast make for a very entertaining horror film that isn't afraid to poke fun at longtime tropes. What really won me over was the writing. The plot is better than average and has some great character work. Helping make up for a monster that ultimately isn't as unsettling as it first seemed.
7.7/10
侏罗纪游戏 (2018) IMDb TMDB
The Jurassic Games
导演: Ryan Bellgardt 演员: 瑞恩·梅里曼 / 佩里·里夫斯
其它标题: 쥬라기 게임 / The Jurassic Games
  在不遠的將來,每年十位世上最致命的死刑犯,將會在「侏羅 紀遊戲」競爭以獲得自由。在這場電視實境秀中,參賽者必須對抗兇猛的恐龍和毫不留情的對手,最後的倖存者將獲得前所未有的自由、名望和財富!
2018年7月20日 看过
2018年7月20日 评论 a review of - A mockbuster mashup of Jurassic World and The Hunger Games with a little of Ready Player One thrown in for good measure. I stumbled upon this gem while scrolling through Redbox one day and decided to look it up out of curiosity due to my childhood love of dinosaurs. A quick Google search led me to the shocking discovery that it currently has an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. The score is based on only five critic reviews, but still managed to blow my mind as I never expected anyone to have watched this, much less rate it positively. So of course I decided to check it out for myself and I have to say that The Jurassic Games is a legitimately good B-movie. The premise is that a bunch of death row inmates compete in virtual reality game show that pits them against each other and the most dangerous animals to have ever walked the earth. If they die in the game, they die in real life. The last person standing gets to walk away with their freedom. Yeah, not the most original idea. Things get crazy though. There are plenty of the expected cheesy moments, but they actually come off as kind of cool thanks to some stellar production values for what I can only assume was a very low budget movie. The dinosaurs look pretty darn good. Especially the carnivores as they are given the most detail. The game itself doesn't start off on the most exciting note as the first goal the contestants are given is to find a safe zone. So the first act largely consists of them running around the woods and forming early alliances. Most of the action is also of the human-on-human variety which isn't as thrilling as what comes later. What kept me interested was the behind-the-scenes stuff. A good portion of the movie is dedicated to following the exploits of those responsible for putting the show together. That side of things explores the real world elements of the story, like how people are reacting to what is basically a series of televised executions for public entertainment. This allows The Jurassic Games to address some moral conundrums. Who would have expected it to do that? These moments are also where you'll find the majority of the best written characters. Given how long it takes for any of the characters to be fleshed out, the real star of the film is Ryan Merriman as the host. On top of having the right charisma and comedic timing to believably lead a game show, he was also given this really cool black skull mask that has this gonzo, sinister quality that carries through to the rest of the movie and feels like something from a comic book or anime due to what an eccentric touch it is. Merriman makes for a memorable villain and I would have loved more scenes of him just taunting the main cast. The movie uses the old wrongly accused father trope to ensure that we have a protagonist to emotionally invest in and root for. It weirdly works. Katie Burgess is also a standout as Joy because of how dangerous she manages to be despite her youthful appearance. Jurassic Games really hits it's stride when the participants complete their first task and move onto the maze. The sci-fi elements immediately become more prominent and watching the players get hunted through the dark, tight corridors by velociraptors is a blast. There's even a martial arts sequence that is nowhere near as dumb as it could have been. It's also the point where the movie sets into the comfortable rhythm of watching the characters get picked off one-by-one in inventive death sequences. There are some creative scenarios and we even get a straight up dinosaur battle where humans run around under foot. So there are some fun set-pieces. I also really liked how the cast has more prehistoric threats to face than just the dinosaurs. I find it strange to say that I enjoyed this movie more than the latest Jurassic Park film. Those who found World 2 to be lacking in things like character deaths may find Games to be a sillier, yet somehow satisfying alternative. I think it actually has the better characterization of the two. The acting isn't of the same caliber, but I liked the people onscreen so much more. Pretty impressive for a movie that likely only exists to exploit the popularity of a big blockbuster. It's like the people who made it actually had some talent and tried to make something decent rather than phoning everything in for a quick cash grab on the population who thought this was the newest sequel to Spielberg's beloved classic. As a result the movie rises above it's mockbuster roots and stands out as a solid B-movie.
7.7/10