J Chang

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I have always liked Ice Cube, NWA both new and old line up. This album is fine - it is not one of Ice Cubes best but it still makes the grade. If you are expecting "The Predator", "Lethal Injection" or "War & Peace" you will be a bit disappointed. If I had a wish for 2025 is that Cube would reform with "Da Lench Mob" and bring out another album- packed full of controversy. 9 of the tracks on the album are superlative and whilst a bit predictable he has not lost style as a world class rapper. You cannot take what Ice Cube says too seriously or too literally otherwise his music will might make you seethe. I have most, if not all of his albums and I take what is said as a form of edutainment from the perspective of an ethnic minority / African American living in 21st century America. "Man Down" is a good addition to the Ice Cube canon. Gangsta rap forever!

Decent acting, reasonable direction, good visuals, some shocks, but I think this film would have benefitted more from being an 18 rating, just like the 1976 release. The impregnation scene should have been more puke inducing - this is the Anti Christ and the conception should have been foul and disgusting. I know some people reading this might think I am being a pervert but "Rosemary's Baby" did not leave much to the imagination and this was released in the early 70's. The director should have taken a leaf out Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" and given the audience something mildly erotic but very disturbing and disgusting. Given the way a lot of directors can release uncut versions of their own films perhaps consideration should be be given to an R-Rated version of the same movie that delivers a very warped version of the conception of Damien. Three stars for the acting and some of the visuals, but the real meat in the sandwich was lacking.

I did not like this film that much. The reason why I have given it a 3 star rating is mainly for the stella cast. I like Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland- neither of which suit comedy roles. The dead pan Clint Eastwood brand of comedy fits rather awkwardly with the Donald Sutherland camp style of humour. Both are fine actors and have performed in films far older than Kelly's Heroes, but have aged better. The plot is interesting, and it provides an additional dimension to the more likely involvement for some of the American soldiers partaking in WW2, that being to swindle, rob, steal for personal gain as opposed to fighting for a noble cause (defeating the scourge of fascism and Nazism). One thing is for sure some of the US military (when the film is set) lives up to the assertion that: every man has his price. 1970's ushered in a style of filmmaking that might be considered more cynical, darker in tone, and groundbreaking. As a war film "Kelly's Heroes" breaks from tradition and offers something less common than war films that came out of Hollywood before it. Some of the humour is dated and it has a toe curling, cringeworthy effect, the interactions between Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland are awful, just watch the expression on Clint Eastwood's face. The soundtrack sounds like something that would not be too out of place from an episode of Earl Hammers'- "The Waltons". You can often tell when a cast has enjoyed filming, because the viewing of what is filmed is far less enjoyable. Good comedy, rarely ages badly what audiences found funny then would be funny now. Kelly's Heroes, seems like such a wasted opportunity, as it had the cast, the plot, but it would have been much better without the humour as after a while it becomes irritating.

This is the best of the three films of the new trilogy. The actors and acting all very good from all involved, the storytelling is where it all slips and slides and rehashes itself into a carbon copy of 'A New Hope', the other two films that came after should really have consolidated the plot, started with this film but they didn't. This is the handover from the original cast to the new set of actors. It really is an opportunity missed and whilst some people like this film, it wasn't what I was expecting, the other two films that came after where just more and more disappointing - this has nothing to do with the acting, its all about the story and the way it became more and more confused and garbled. JJ Abrams claims he is a StarWars fan, yet with these films he showed all the other fans a level of contempt that was summed up at his quote he made at episode 8 premiere, which was something along the lines of not looking to make StarWars films for the fans. He should have stuck to StarTrek. If only Steven Spielberg (or any other reputable director) had, had some input into the story and some direction it might have been such a better experience- as Spielberg has proven time and again, that he is able to make films for an established fanbase AND a new generation. Chris Evans from Channel 4 & BBC radio summed up the new StarWars films really well - " ...everything about and around StarWars is exciting, except the films...". I wish they could trash the new trilogy and remake them all over again with the same actors, a new story, and a far better director, and a set of writers who are great story tellers. The fans are at the heart of any movie franchise and for them to be treated with such disdain, the slamming and slating of these films is richly deserved.

You have to see this film to believe just how awful it actually is. I think Reeve, Hackman, Kidder and Cryer must all of been desperate for the work or they were all SERIOUSLY "arm twisted" by the Salkind's to re-appear. It's so bad it's almost funny, a farce. In some sequences you can see the wires, then there are unanswered questions, like: how was Mariel Hemingway able to breathe in space? The demise of Nuclear Man and how Superman defeated him goes largely unexplained. Christopher Reeves expressed his embarrassment in several interviews after the release of Superman IV. This instalment of the franchise NEARLY destroys the reputation of the films that came before it, it's a great example of how Hollywood sometimes makes sequels for the sheer sake of it- it's on par with StarWars- The Force Awakens,The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker, plus Attack of the Clones and the acting in Revenge of the Sith.

I have been a long time fan of Pink Floyd's since I was 14 years old, I'm now nearly 50. The Wall (the film) is an awkward, confusing, sometimes incoherent, and uncomfortable watch, but a nonetheless intriguing and compelling, on par with 'Tommy' by The Who. The film serves as a bit of a 'spoon feed' for those who found the album difficult to extrapolate the story behind the seeming abstract nature of how the music is positioned, the tracks at times pull the audience in all directions. The album is better than the film in my opinion. Some Pink Floyd fans would say that in spite of the splits within the band that this was not apparent on 'The Wall' but having heard it hundreds of times I would argue that there are inconsistencies, that can be heard but to a lesser extent than the ill conceived "Final Cut" album- which David Gilmour had remarked that the songs on that album comprised of all the off cuts from "The Wall". The entire band seem to pull together on sides three & four (vinyl version) or disc two (CD version) and the real quality emerges, something which is less apparent, much earlier on the album. Pink Floyd were the last of great bands up there with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, all of which created by sheer talent and ability, genuine music, something which has gradually gone into decline from the turn of the 21st century. Anyone who is of an age that has recently listened to Radio One can tell it is all a load of (c)rap! This is not the best Pink Floyd album, 'Meddle' is probably the best album, then 'Animals', without 'Meddle' there may not have been 'Dark Side of The Moon' and without 'Animals' there probably would not have been "The Wall', interestingly, it is the build up to Pink Floyd's commercial successes, captured in the recording studio that make for much more satisfying listening experiences.

Sometimes Phil Collins has good vocals but sometimes he sounds awful, he is one of those vocalists that if the song is right, he will sound okay, but if not then it's painful for the listener. I recall watching a documentary on Genesis some years ago and Peter Gabriel aired his objections (in a sideways manner) to Phil Collins singing as lead vocalist in their concert, to which Collins picked up on, with an abrupt retort. "But Seriously" is okay so long as you don't take the this album entirely seriously, the high points are all the songs that entered the charts, that everyone who was a teenager in the late 80's will know, other than that it's a slightly mediocre entry.

A superlative horror story in the sense that it combines a number of outstanding contributions- these include, the plot, the acting, the set pieces, and the music. The real shocks stem from the realisations of the central protagonists (Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner) in what they have been drawn into. The soundtrack is a bit reminiscent of 'Capricorn One" a movie whom Gerry Goldsmith had written music for as well. "The Omen" is in essence a search for the truth which upon finding it becomes a desperate battle between the forces of good and evil. The best type of films in this genre do not give way to what should happen before the closing credits, instead "The Omen" resists the Hollywood urge to become predictable and cliched, this is what makes "The Omen" so special and different from a lot of 70's offerings (with the exception of "The Wickerman"), in that there doesn't necessarily have to be a happy ending. This film is in many ways a milestone and proves that scares and shocks do not have to take place in the dark, they can happen in broad daylight too. The really weird thing is that whilst this film may look dated in many of the aesthetics (buildings, cars, costumes) the acting has not, the performances are as good today as they where, when first performed in the 70's upon release. Unfortunately, Hollywood did spawn a number of sequels to "The Omen" whilst I wouldn't avoid the original story, less can be said about the sequels.

The acting is good, and the story is reasonable even if, erring slightly on a well worn, overly used cliche' type narrative. I wish there could have been more of Patrick Wilson & Vera Famiga, it is almost like they appear in this movie hand the story over to the younger cast comprising of a baby sitter, the daughter (of the Warrens), and friend/s of the babysitter visiting; chaos ensues when the friend of the babysitter goes into rooms in the house even when told not to. It becomes all too predictable. I've yet to see a horror film where the characters go none contraire to the warning or advice they are given, I suppose that sometimes (or in most cases) the audience need to be spoon fed into the story, that said, If a baby sitter worked for me and her friend visited only to break the rules in my house they would have a lot more to worry about than a cursed doll! The remainder of the film is all about getting the newly escaped Annabelle back in her glass box- and of course this is like someone trying to put toothpaste back in the tube, queue the usual fare of frightful, jump inducing moments (they woke me up!), then (for some reason) one person screaming, then two, then an ensemble of screaming from the entire cast (at one stage in the movie- all three girls). In horror movies there is always the obligatory screaming or screamer. Screaming makes me cringe (or laugh- I feel equally obliged). There is one sequence in 'The Shining' (by Kubrick) where the Jack Nicholson character puts and axe through the chest of Scatman Carruthers character, Jack screams, then Scatman screams and then Danny (the little boy screams) that footage cracks me up every time I see it- The Shining is the funniest horror comedy I have ever seen. Annabelle - Comes Home gets 3/5 this is purely for the acting, the story, do not expect any surprises because you wont get any, this is a formula based horror movie that is true to the franchise, and consequently is a weaker instalment as a result.