Kasper's Ramblings from Kasper Beaumont - Hunters of Reloria

Hunters of Reloria

Time to watch The House With a Clock it its Walls #magic #adventure #movie

9/16/2018

School holidays are on the way here in Australia and that means one thing: Kids' Movies. Some are good, some are bad and many are just OK. Luckily this one we saw today was in the good category.

The Housde With a Clock in its Walls
Big names (and personalities) Jack Black and Cate Blanchett guide budding child star Owen Vaccaro as Lewis in the main role. Lewis's parents are killed in a tragic accident and he goes to live with his Uncle Jonathon (Black) in a spooky haunted house. As the plot progresses, Lewis discovers a world of magic and mysterious creatures, with a clock in the walls counting down to doomsday. The boy uncovers his own magical powers just in time as trouble is brewing.
Owen Vaccaro is a breath of fresh air in the role. While the plot is a little predictable, we all found lots to like and engaged with the 3 main characters. Sunny Suljic as class bully Tarby is also a highlight.

I took Miss 10 and Mr 15 who enjoyed the show and found it very entertaining.
4 and a half stars from the Beaumont clan

All aboard for family fun watching Hotel Transylvania 3 #movies #HotelTransylvania #family

7/4/2018

Just got home with the kiddies from Hotel Transylvania 3 and we all agree it's great family entertainment. The packed cinema and recommendations from our friends would indicate that most folks concur.
For those of you have been living in a haunted mansion without electricity for the past few years, the Hotel Transylvania series are based on the vampire, Dracula and his monster family and friends.
This latest instalment introduces some new characters such as the famous Van Helsing family of vampire hunters.

Dracula's daughter Mavis wants to make the old vamp proud by booking a family holiday aboard a cruise ship in the Bermuda Triangle. Of course all the friends from the family hotel decide to come along for the fun, including a family of around 20 werewolves who seriously test the Kids Club staff.
Romance is the sub-plot with Dracula not having dated for over 100 years and getting starry-eyed when he meets the pretty ship captain. The path to true love as they say does not always run smooth.

I have to say that the Kraken stole the show for me. It is a favourite painting topic among my friends at the moment and I really enjoyed this dancing version.

Did you know that Adam Sandler is the voice of Dracula? I must confess to being surprised, but hey you never know with cartoons these days. He does a great job.
There are a host of other celebs including: Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Fran 'the Nanny' Drescher, Mel Brooks and more.

Do yourselves a favour and check out this fun flick.

You'll either love or hate Star Wars: The Last Jedi #StarWars #review

12/16/2017

From the day they released the name Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there has been a buzz surrounding this movie. "How can it be the last Jedi if there's another movie?" "Do they mean 'Jedi' as in plural?"
Well my family has just returned from the movie and two of us loved it, and the other two were disappointed. We're all very keen Star Wars fans, so it's not like we're new to the fan club, we just had very different takes on the movie.
Things I enjoyed about the movie:
* it was unpredictable "This is not going to go the way you think." Luke.
* There were brilliant new worlds, new creatures like the crystal fox, porgs and island people; and new loveable characters like Rose.

* The Millennium Falcon feels like a favourite character
* I like the development of the characters, particularly in the use of the Force. "Dark rises, and light to meet it." Snoke. I loved the 'will they or won't they be turned' aspects and the new ability.
* The special effects are fantastic. Gone are the days when CGIs were short and sweet; there are loads of them here, including my favourite, space battles.
* Carrie Fisher was a stand-out. A fitting tribute to our late Princess Leia.
The bits I weren't so keen on included the losses, but I don't want to include any spoilers here, so I'll leave it at that.
Go and see for yourselves and let me know your opinion of the latest blockbuster.

Check out this review from my friend Troy Stoilkovski:
Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It was well directed, cinematography shot beautifully, the storytelling though has a few plotholes (see below) and that soundtrack, well it's John Williams folks. Visual and practical effects were exceptional and Rian Johnson had a big job helming the course of the canon to here. It defines and extends the narrative set by The Force Awakens though it breaks some of those ...guidelines set before. It's an enjoyable adventure, very unpredictable even. It reaches into big movie territory. It's up there.

Carrie Fisher (RIP) gives a deep, emotional resonance here, a fitting last film. Hamill is just superb (especially Luke and Rey's interplay) but there are other avenues and storylines i believe they could've gone with, especially concerning the legendary Luke (watch it and you'll know what i mean). Cast delivered and some were exceptional, others ok, fulfilled their roles. I didn't agree with every choice in major character exposition and their outcome, actually it surprised me, but In conclusion it's the path now for the canon, and Rian has produced a movie of pivotal direction. Maybe i'm a bit nostalgic, but the original trilogy is still my favourite in terms of iconic character development and storytelling. For me Empire Strikes Back is still THE greatest Star Wars film, almost perfection. Star Wars is now heading to new horizons :) #starwars #thelastjedi #rianjohnson #disney #ohyeah #twothumbsup
Posted by Troi Stoi on Facebook and reprinted with permission

Let me know your thoughts below:

Going to Star Wars: The Last Jedi in my Rey shirt and glow in the dark skirt

Review: Wonder Woman. The best super hero movie for a long time #WonderWoman #movie #review

6/18/2017

So much has been said about a female super hero lead and a female director, girl power yada yada. Seriously folks, who cares? I sure don't. A good movie is a good movie and I reckon this one is mighty fine. Sure it has some world-building plot and character development which may seem a little slow in places to the adrenaline junkies, but I found it well done.
There is plenty of eye candy for all with gorgeous Gal Gadot and hunky Chris Pine wearing nothing but a few drops of water. The scenery and cinematography are visually splendid.
I went with my 15 year-old comic reading son and he said it was regrettable how much they differed from the comics, especially with the Gods and Chris Pine's character. He thought her powers weren't quite true to the comics, such as her forcefield or telekinetic powers. He also said that the action scenes were awesome, so I'm pleased he came along with me and enjoyed it. I also saw it with hubby who said much the same thing.

For me, it was a great all-rounder with lots of heart, relatable characters and really cool action. I found the backstory of Diana (Gadot) growing up with the Amazons on the hidden isle of Themyscira (I hope I spelled that correctly) all quite wonderful and it brought a cool fantasy edge to the movie for me. I guess she's a bit like a female version of Thor. I'll just step back and let the DC and Marvels fans argue that one out LOL.
I've been a Gadot fan for years from the Fast & Furious movies. I was pleasantly surprised at her emotional depth in the role and such a lovely chemistry with Chris Pine.
Also the battle scenes and horsing riding action were fantastic. The lasso work was well done. 5 stars from me.

Gee..I hope you all get this meme. It's a good one

Until next time, happy days, from Kasper :)

This movie is worth a look: Gods of Egypt #GodsofEgypt #movie

3/26/2016

After an enjoyable afternoon at the cinema, I was quite surprised to read that 'Gods of Egypt' is a lemon. Well, let me contradict the trend by saying how much I enjoyed it. There were several points working in its favour in my mind. 1. The mythology of the golden age of Egypt, when the Gods lived among mortals; 2. Some pretty cool special effects; 3. Darn good looking eye candy and 4. Fond memories of the Stargate movie and TV series.
We go to the movies for entertainment and escapism and in my mind, Gods of Egypt met these criteria perfectly.

Have you ever read ancient Egyptian texts and wondered what their Gods would look like and how they would behave towards the commoners? I have always had a fascination for this. Whereas in Stargate, the powers that appeared magical were mostly due to technological superiority, here it is interpreted in a more traditional sense.

Gods of Egypt was directed by Alex Proyas and stars Gerard Butler as Set, Geoffrey Rush as Ra, Nickolaj Coster-Waldau (the ripped fighter from Game of Thrones) as Horus, Chadwick Boseman as Thoth, Brenton Thwaites as Bek, Elodie Yung as Hathor, Rufus Sewell as Urshu and Courtney Eaton as Zaya. - all in all a gorgeous cast with some pretty impressive CVs.
So, I recommend going in with an open mind and you might find that you really enjoy it like I did.

Review: Deadpool - Marvel super hero plays it for laughs and wild abandon #Deadpool #Marvel

2/15/2016

The term 'super hero' is kind of inappropriate here, with this chemically enhanced jokester with a devil-may-care attitude not being focussed on saving people, but on revenge. But don't be deterred, there is a hell of a lot to like in the adults only movie. My partner and I laughed most of the way through, apart from the times I cringed from the violence. Warning: it's not one for the faint-hearted.

What's to like?

Pretty much everything really. The cast are really good. Ryan Reynolds (and his butt) as Deadpool; the beautiful Morena Baccarin as Vanessa; and the deliciously loathsome Ed Skrein as Ajax.
The plot is actually pretty cool (shock horror) for a comic book movie. It opens with a visually spectacular action sequence which is intercut with the obligatory backstory of how Deadpool gained his super-healing powers. Basically he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and this mutant experiment was his only hope of survival. Of course, things didn't go quite to plan and there is a dastardly villain in need of terminating.
The black humour is wickedly dark and the timing is so totally inappropriate as to be hilarious.
Extra-special effects in the action scenes are totally incredible.
There were a couple of X-men. I love the joke that the producers could only afford two.
The opening credits are seriously funny and original.
There is a beautiful love story at the heart of the movie.

What I didn't like:

The violence was a bit graphic for my tastes, but I'm sure there are many hot-blooded young men who will find it right up their alley

The verdict:

I loved it . Five stars and a round of applause from me.

I'm loving all these Star War theories and chatter, but can I just have a Rey t-shirt please? #StarWars

1/10/2016

Is Snoke really Darth Plagueis? He certainly isn't Darth Vader come back from the dead as some misguided theories have suggested. Yes, I agree the musical score is very similar, but perhaps that is because this is the Star Wars genre and they are both Sith Lords.
Is Rey Han's daughter, or Luke's? Was Anikin conceived by Darth Plagueis' willpower? So many weird and wonderful theories to be explored.
They are hours of fun to be had from Googling all the latest in Star Wars chatter. Just today I was checking out a verbal duel between Emo Kylo Ren and Very Lonely Luke on Twitter. I must say that Emo Kylo Ren is hilarious.

I'm still staking out the local fandom shop and waiting for t-shirts of Rey and BB8 to come in. Sure there have been a lot of Darth Vader, Han and Chewie merchandise, but hey folks ... the series has moved on. I'd like a Rey shirt please. Girl power is the new Jedi flavour of the month.
Ah well, in the meantime I'll watch The Force Awakens again and patiently wait for the merchandise to catch up with the fans.

Movie review: Star Wars: the Force Awakens. A must see for fans young and old. #StarWars

12/20/2015

Our 3 children were too young to see any of the previous movies in their original cinema releases, so it was with child-like wonder that we attended Star Wars: the Force Awakens. There is something magical about watching it with youngsters and enjoying their gasps of surprise, giggles and cheers of elation. It is not a movie I would recommend for the pre-schooler age, but our children of 14, 12 and almost 8 were delighted with it. There are a couple of scary bits in there, the usual kind of Star Wars violence and lots of awesome loud music and special effects.

As you will read in I daresay many other reviews, it is best not to talk about the plot due to spoilers. I can say that I appreciated the emotional connection to the new characters, although it did take me just a little while to get used to Luke, Han and Leia not being the lead stars. Yes, they are all there to some degree, but the story has moved on, which I think was necessary, but a little hard for the original fans to process right away.
Finn and Rey are two great new lead characters and there is a mysterious Darth Vader-like baddie (of course it wouldn't be Star Wars without the bad imperial storm troopers.) I think I'll leave it there plot-wise. Just go and see it and judge for yourself. The galaxy is kinda familiar, but so many things are new and different that we can feel that this is a new movie and the start of a new adventure. Will there be 3 or 6 movies from Disney? I don't know, but if they are of this quality, then the more the merrier for me.
Excuse me while I go and play with my lightsabre. Buzz buzz

By the way, check out the cool clip below. Such fun!

Movie review: The Martian, starring Matt Damon. Excitement, science and a lot of heart. 5 stars

10/5/2015

We went in with no expectations, because so many space and sci-fis these days are disappointing. Luckily, this is A-grade all the way.
Poor Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is accidentally left behind when his fellow astronauts are evacuated during a powerful storm on Mars. Injured and with air leaking from his spacesuit, things look bleak for the likeable character. Luckily, Watney is an intelligent and mentally tough bloke who manages to escape his immediate predicament.

Matt Damon brings warmth and humour to the role of Watney and he really is enjoyable to watch. Although he is alone, you feel the support radiating out to him from Earth and feel your hands clench during tense moments.

Ridley Scott does a great job of making the special effects look natural in the movie and keeping the plot true to the novel. I was pleasantly relieved that there wasn't a Martian in sight, although a visit from Warner Bros Marvin the Martian would have been quite acceptable. Well done to the team for this exciting movie. I recommend everyone takes a look. 5 stars from Kasper.

Life is not going to be smooth sailing on the harsh red planet and we feel as though we are on the planet with Botanist Watney as he has to nut out a way to communicate his survival to Earth and figure out how to feed himself for the years it may take for assistance to arrive.
In true NASA style, things aren't going so well at their end either. They may have the most brilliant minds on Earth to work with, but unforseen complications crop up and Watney has only himself and meagre provisions for them to work with.

Movie review of Jupiter Ascending. Spectacular visual effects and beautiful eye candy, but ...

2/22/2015

This sci-fi block buster falls short of what it could have been and should have been.
Gorgeous Mila Kunis graces the stage with her beautiful expressive eyes and curvaceous figure in an action fighter suit. She is joined by an alien genetical mash-up between a wolf and a human with the only visible sign being pointy elf ears (oh yeah, I was right into the elf ears), played by Channing Tatum. He is unfortunately on a par with our mate, Keau Reeves on the acting scale.

There is also a great supporting cast, including the versatile Eddie Redmayne (recently seen as Stephen Hawking); a fantasy fave - Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings); and the extremely pretty Douglas Booth (he's a model, no surprise).
The story begins where 3 extremely long-lived lords and lady of the galaxy are fighting over Earth (apparently we're quite a desirable planet, nice to know). These three siblings: Titus, Balex and Kalique Abrasax, all covet our world, which used to be owned by their mother. She died in mysterious circumstances, so I wouldn't be trusting them with any trustworthy matters anytime soon.
An Earth girl (Kunis) is born to Russian star-loving parents and migrates to Chicago, America to a hard life of cleaning up after wealthy folks and spends a considerable part of the movie cleaning toilets. Enter the obligatory naked, bigheaded aliens who want to probe / destroy the poor girl, named Jupiter. Luckily Channing Tatum's Mister Caine (mister?) flys in on hover skates to save the day.
Where can I get me some of those hover skates? I need them. It gave me a Star War-like buzz of exhilaration. Cue lots of exciting action scenes that made me sit their grinning with a huge smile on my face (and of course the ever-awesome Sean Bean as the interesting, but under-utilised, Stinger).
A short time later when they launched into space to meet the fiendish Abrasax siblings, something disappointing happened to this movie that I was enjoying immensely. It became a yawn. Perhaps it was the lack of plot depth or perhaps the lucklustre acting from leading man, Caine. Maybe it was the boring and predictable save-the-wedding scene. A combination of things made the movie go downhill rapidly.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went, and there were some brilliant things to love about Jupiter Ascending. The design of the space ships and the hover shoes and plasma shield technology made it worthwhile for me. The scene with the bees was most incredible too.
And who could resist the horde of gorgeous actors who might have just walked off the set of the latest vampire movie. Perhaps if you go in expecting a Rotten-Tomatoes rating of 1 star / tomato, you will find it exceeds expectations.
Suspend your disbelief and go ahead, give Jupiter Ascending a go. 4 stars from me.

NB: It has just aired here in Australia, but I notice there is a release date of the 25th of July 2014 on the poster to the right here. When did it open in your town? and did you like it?