Luap79 Reviews

Arizona (2018)

A good belly laugh for those with a twisted sense of humour.

[8/10 · 14 October 2018]

I initially procrastinated on watching Arizona, probably because I am kinda getting bored with the (not funny) PC humour a large chunk of the film industry seems to have embraced; or maybe it's just that my mostly uncensored Australian sense of humour doesn't get it.

However, I was not let down by this gem courtesy of Jonathan Watson, a relatively new comer to the directors chair, and the solid, mostly believable characters portrayed by a great cast.

Arizona is set primarily amongst the desolate suburban landscape of two (mostly deserted) gated housing estates in a that coupled with fantastic cinematography, give the stories environment a post apocalyptic feeling.

The competent cast pulled off their characters very well. But the star is by far Danny Mcbride, who completely owned the repeatedly evolving character of Sonny, a well meaning, yet volatile psychopath.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film not certain why it has such a slow rating? I think it could be as simple as, this is quite funny in a rather morbid way and likely much more appealing if viewers possess a dark sense of humour.

This is one that I have added to my list of films to recommend to others. A fair and well earned 8/10 Stars.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

I read the reviews, gave it a go, not raving, but not disappointed either.

[7/10 · 18 September 2018]

My title pretty much somes it up. I read many reviews. Some obviously paid over the top reviews, some average reviews from "professional" critics, some absolutely horrendous reviews by people from seemingly from the planet 'Cranky' and so on... After my Solo - A Star Wars Story review rollercoaster ride, I decided to see it for myself and although I am not raving about it to anyone, I was not disappointed with it either. Another IMDb member, poopville' review on the 6th August 2018 struck a cord with me. As a man born in the 70's, I totally agree with what they wrote. I am not sure where the extreme hate is coming from, but in my opinion, this film does not deserve the venom being spat at it. I do recommend you see this film, as it is worthy of your time. 6.9/10

Hereditary (2018)

Drama that wants to be a horror and then it ends...

[5/10 · 4 September 2018]

I am writing this no more than a minute since the film ended. I have not read any reviews prior to writing this, nor have I seen any previews or heard much (if anything) about the film. My girlfriend invited me to join her to watch Hereditary this evening. I was excited, as I love me a good horror. But that is where my excitement ended. I watched it all the way through, however my partner nodded off about 45 minutes in. I think I kept watching because due the cast and their fantastic acting, I guess I was expecting something great to emerge from the slow burn story telling. The film has a certain air to it, the lighting, the musical score and the cinematography kept me on edge most of the time, other times I was a tad bored and got to "fidgeting". At one point I considered stopping the stream, waking my partner and taking her to bed, but then something happened that made me stay. This movie had so much potential, but it seemed to get stuck in the drama genre for the majority of the time. It isn't until the final 20 minutes or so that the film adopts a rather haphazard and seemingly rushed horror/thriller feel and then it ends, leaving a void of unanswered questions. As a massive fan of the horror genre, I can't say I felt horrified by Hereditary. It had so much potential, but didn't deliver in my opinion. Give it a go, as the story is interesting, but do not expect anything to rave about. I have given Hereditary 5 stars out of 10 primarily for the acting and cinematography.

Along Came the Devil (2018)

Same old same, with a decent twist at the end.

[5/10 · 19 August 2018]

As my title states, this movie is much the same as nearly all low budget Exorcism films that have tried so hard, but never will be 'The Exorcist', even if they do take much from the original and (in my opinion) the best demonic possession/exorcism films ever. In saying that, I must state that by no means is this review based on any personal views or bias from other great films. I think I was about 25 minutes into 'Along Came the Devil', when I did the usual, check the time slider to see how long the film had left to go, that I do when I am bored. This is because I wasn't seeing anything new or original and I was by no means shocked, scared or defecating myself over anything on the screen at that point, nor would I be the duration of the film. The acting is good and in some scenes, really good for low budget film actors and for that I say bravo to the actors, but the story and script was not so flash and many times I felt that they were trying to incorporate too much without sufficient time needed, giving it a cluttered feel. As I mentioned earlier, there is much in this film taken from other great films of the same genre and I guess that added to my attitude toward it. I must admit, many of the demonic possession acting during the exorcism scenes was very good and the make up and lighting was right on queue, but was it believable? I did not jump or even feel remotely scared once, so no. I gave this film a 5/10 stars because it wasn't terrible and I didn't press stop after 25 minutes. There is enough to keep you going, but only barely and there is a pretty cool twist at the end that I believe was not used to the best of it's ability. It had a kind of "okay, here's your twist, meh, let's call it a wrap and go get coffee" feel to it. If you love the Demonic Possession/Exorcism like I do, you might like to give it a chance, but it's not one I'll be raving about or recommending to friends. Cheers

Daddy's Little Girl (II) (2014)

Little B Grade Gem - Worth the hour and a half of your life.

[7/10 · 16 August 2018]

I have browsed the reviews and see mixed views on this film. I'll keep this one short and sweet. I was recommended this movie by a friend about a month ago and after some searching, I was able to purchase a copy online. I am a bit of a movie connoisseur and poor acting tends to do my head in, so was a tad put off at the beginning due to the less than professional acting, but the story is solid; one that we can all relate to in one way or another and I soon overcame this "issue", and I found myself letting it slide. The make up and special effects are (in my opinion) of high quality. Horror/Thriller movies so often use poor make up and fake blood, mixed with bad lighting, so that the fake blood looks like raspberry jam or something obviously not blood. The FX and lighting crew should pat themselves on the back for their great efforts. The SAW like scenes made me grimace on more than a few occasions and at one point made me look away briefly, which is not like me at all. It was hard to rate this one due to the acting, but I gave it an 7 because there is no 7.5 star option. I am writing this review after just finishing watching the film and I think my rating is fair and I do recommend this little B grade gem to anyone who is capable of allowing less than great acting to be excused in return for a ripper story and some great Special effects. To any dirty Pedophiles, Rapists and Murders out there, I wish the contents of this movie was standard practice within the "so called" justice system. Gaol is too good for you filthy scumbags. Enjoy

Tomb Raider (2018)

A step, leap and barrel roll in the right direction...

[9/10 · 19 June 2018]

I bought my first PlayStation (one) when they were released for about AUD$900.00, give or take and the first installment of Tomb Raider not too long after. I have played every game edition and seen the original movies starring Angelina Joley. As much as I like Angelina in many other films, she just didn't do it for me as Lara Croft. OK, she had the body depicted in the original games (the ones prior to the 2013 release), but she didn't have the nous and passion that Lara Croft is known for. The introduction of Alicia Vikander as Lara in this film has the room divided it seems, some say she is suitable for the role and others are for her. I am for her in thye role. Sure she might not have the big boobs and voluptuous lips, but that is of no issue to me and too be honest, Alecias physique is much more realistic for someone who does what Lara does. The movie itself is a direct take off of the newer Tomb Raider (2013) game and (in my opinion) it has been done well. I would like to have seen more puzzle solving and acrobatic "tomb raiding", but I guess there is only an hour and a half. Perhaps the next installment (if there is one) will delve more into this area. It is a great film that deserves an audience that is not only into the franchise, but also open to a few (minor, some may say major) changes. I give it 9 out of 10, as it kept me glued to the screen the entire runtime.

The Vietnam War (2017)

So hard to watch, but so necessary...

[10/10 · 16 June 2018]

I have so many words, but I don't know how best to express them. This documentary is very hard to watch at times, but it is (in my opinion) something that everyone (who was not there) should watch. This series has taught me many things, not only about what it was like for my dear old friend and his comrades on the ground, but also the abysmal way in which the war was carried out and the poor decision making by the governments involved. Now 39 years of age, I grew up not knowing much about the Vietnam war. We (in Australia) were not taught anything about war other than the 1st and 2nd world wars. We celebrated ANZAC Day in memory of those who died in WW1. So to now have this superb documentary to further my research is truly appreciated and I thank all involved. This series is not some remake of a brutal war, it is the war. So be warned, this is not something I would recommend to someone suffering from depression, PTSD or any other mental illness likely to be triggered by the harsh reality of war. I have found myself in tears on many occasion whilst watching this, but for me, this is a journey I must take. I only wish that the Australian and New Zealand involvement had a mention. I give The Vietnam War series a solid and well deserved 10/10 stars.

The Expanse (2015–2022)

Top shelf space Sci-Fi.

[10/10 · 16 June 2018]

I was never a huge Sci-Fi fan, but I started getting into the genre in my early to mid 30's. Now 39, I am finding it hard to look past the genre in favour of others (something I have no trouble with, but the GF is not so keen...more for me!) I first stumbled across The Expanse on Netflix after having watched the latest installment of Star Trek (Discovery). As many have stated in other reviews, The Expanse does take off a bit slow, but it is easily excused due to the story building and impressive (not overdone) CGI. The story is set entirely in our own solar system and (imo) it portrays humanity and the government entities how they really are and not some fantastical idea that humans will be peace loving, warm and fuzzy creatures in 100+ years, although I do hope that can be a reality one day. As I mentioned, the CGI is impressive and well produced, yet it doesn't feel overdone and you could be easily lead to believe it is real. The actors, for the most part, execute their artistic skills very well and I have found myself believing them more and more with each episode. Like me, you may even find yourself wanting to beat up certain villainous characters. I was devastated to hear that this absolute gem of a TV series was cancelled after season 3, but there is good news after all, with Amazon picking the series up for season 4! So Happy :) To be honest, I can't really fault this show at all, but then again, I am pretty easy going and often disregard minor cons. Give this series a go, but I warn you now, you will become addicted fast, therefore I recommend you have at least season 1 in full before you embark on your viewing journey, as it is very binge worthy. Enjoy 10/10

Young Sheldon (2017–2024)

Not what I was hoping for...

[3/10 · 24 October 2017]

This is my first IMDb review and I am going to keep it short - ish. I love, love, love The Big Bang Theory and I have watched it since watching the pilot all those years ago. Sheldon makes me laugh so hard on so many occasions, so when Young Sheldon the TV series popped up on my TV/Movie radar I was obviously rather excited and couldn't wait to see this new treat. I forced myself to watch the Pilot to the end and that is the only episode I will ever watch. Do I need to elaborate? I think not. Do give it a shot, as you may like it and the rest of the family are funny and enjoyable to watch, but the kid Sheldon is (imo) extremely annoying and is the very reason I will avoid Young Sheldon henceforth.