Bear 1817 Posted August 26, 2015 I am a member of something called Kinosonen in where I live and every now and then we get an invitation to a free showing at the local cinema. They give away tickets for free to the members who come first until they're free for tickets. Never gotten one before, but I finally got one and went to a free screening, and it was fun. Nothing like going to the cinema for free. Woman in Gold - Solid drama by Simon Curtis with a fabolous Helen Mirren and a great Ryan Reynolds in the lead, with with likes of Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes, Charles Dance and Tatiana Maslany in the supporting roles. It's well-directed and very well-acted, and all in all a good film with a great story, but some of the laughs is way out of place here. Some of them are funny, but they're too straight-forward and very unfitting to the film. They break with everything else and comes off as elemts to please people who usually don't watch dramas. But I liked the film, mostly because of the chemestry between the leads, as well as a solid story. Could've been much better, but it was alright, and well worth two hours of my life. A 6,5/10 type of film. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 3, 2015 Star Trek - As I put this film on I didn't have any exectations at all, I didn't even expect to be entertained. I just put it on because I was told it had great sound, and as I bought a new surround system the other day I just wanted to test it. But this film really caught me off-guard. I'm not a huge Star Trek fan to begin with. I've seen some seasons here and there when I was younger, and I've seen some films and enjoyed most of it. But I quite liked this film. Actually, I liked it a lot for what it was. I didn't get much Star Trek feeling from it, and towards the end it felt more like a Star Wars film than a Star Trek film and it hits me that J. J. Abrams must've been just as inspired by Star Wars as by Star Trek for this film which is quite weird, but it was still a fun film IMO. The film is quite obviously made for the new generation of youngsters and not the older Star Trek horde, but as I wasn't a big fan to begin with I don't mind that. It's nicely directed, well-acted and to by surprise well-crafted as far as the visuals and special effects goes. It's looked nice for most part. So yeah, impressed. Will watch the sequel later this week. 1 Flame-X reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 5, 2015 Star Trek Intro Darkness - If I was a Star Trek fan I'd seriously be mad at this atempt at making a Star Trek film. It's not bad filmmaking at all, but it isn't Star Trek either, and this time around it feels even more like Star Wars than the previous one. While there is a lot of refrences to other Star Trek films and such, the overall feeling is much more compareable to Star Wars imo, much because of the action and overall adventure of these films being much more similar than those (I've seen) of Star Trek. But as with the previous one I don't mind because I am not a huge fan to begin with, and I was again massively entertained, and very impressed by the visuals in the film. Looked very nice. I think Zachary Quinto is really impressive here, and Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic as always. I am well aware of the difference between his Khan and the original one, but I thought he was great anyway and I really enjoyed his cold arrogance. He felt menacing, and I liked that a lot. I just think this is great popcorn entertainment made for a modern audience, an audience not familiar with Star Trek to begin with. Loyal Star Trek fans should feel cheated to be honest, but not me. I liked it. Nice little Indiana Jones homage in the begining of the film as well. Awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 6, 2015 How to Train Your Dragon 2 - I liked the first one quite a lot (7/10), and while it is the better film, I personally enjoyed this a lot more. I thought this was an overall bigger adventure and much more fast-paced than the first one, and I thought Stoick was a lot better int his than the first one. Valka was great, especially her appearance, and Drago Bludvist was a badass villain. Another thing I found really interesting here is the chemistry between Hiccup and Astrid, and how they were around eachother. This will sound stupid, but the way they talked to eachother, looked at eachother and more than anything touched eachother was something you rarely see in animated films for children. Am i mistaken by saying it's something a bit unique for films like this in these times? I liked it. What I did not like those is the smooth style and the animation. It just feels so soulless and boring. There's no feeling in the animation. It... nah, fuck it. Computer animation just isn't my cup of tea. It, as regular CGI, should only be used when something is too hard to make without it., which means very, very, very rarely. Valka, though. Badass! Five Masters of Death / 5 Shaolin Masters - Fantastic Chang Cheh film that is simply an all-star martial arts film with a crazy good cast. David Chiang, Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, Kuan-Chun Chi, Wang Lung-wei and Bryan Leung are among the actors included in this film, and that alone is more than enough to satisfy me. But when you take a look at the plot and the action-choreography it just gets even more impressive, buecause this film's got a lot more to it than just an impressive cast. It's a superb film. Classic Chang Cheh and a must for fans of the genre. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 7, 2015 Escape to Witch Mountain - Sadly, this was not the masterpiece I remembered, and it's a huge disappointment when you know what other films John Hough directed (The Legend of Hell House, Twins of Evil, Eyewitness). It's not bad or anything, it just doesn't hit the right points with me in 2015. It lacks that nice fantasy-feeling that I remembered from it, and it wasn't that big adventure as I remembered as well. It's not bad or anything and Donald Pleasence is fantastic, but it lacks that final touch to make it something special. And the ending sucks. Ew. It's ok, but nothing more really. Masters of the Universe - Masters of the Universe isn't just a bad He-Man film, it's a bad film in general. But despite this there's something so pure and awesome with it, and I've been a huge fan since I first laid eyes on it - and I still am that fan. It's dumb, silly and cheesy as fuck, and it never manages to give you a proper He-Man feeling, but there's just something really cool about the film. I sure as fuck enjoy it! And there's a reason why this is often mentioned as a guilty pleasure to many. I don't feel guilty for liking it, though. I just feel cool as fuck! I love me some Dolph, so that sure helps me. But the overall fantasy and adventure feeling of this film just pleases me. I think it's just great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 15, 2015 Hannie Caulder - This went right into my top 10 western films when I first saw, and I still think it's excellent. Quite different from all the other western I've seen, and it feels really fresh. The film is directed by Burt Kennedy who's known for his westerns, among them the fantastic Support Your Local Sheriff!, and Hannie Caulder is a typical Burt Kennedy film even though it's more spaghetti western-inspied than his earlier films. The film isn't Oscar-worthy in any way, but it's got a good script, great dialogue, fantastic cast, monsterous and bloody action sequences and some funny moments, as well as really nice characters. The chemistry between Raquel Welch's character (god, what a woman!!!) and Robert Culp's chaacter is amazing, and both characters are good as well. I really like how Raquel Welch's character grows, and I really like how Robert Culp' haracter shows some weaknesses, as well as how smart he is. And then we have Christopher Lee of course. What a man! Hannie Caulder is a rape & revenge western, and it's fast-paced, fierce and brutal. It's just fantastic like. And this film must've been a huge inspiration on Tarantino for his Kill Bill films? I can see a lot of Hannie Caulder in Kill Bill. Fun fact: this is the only western Christopher Lee did. By the way, take a look at this: Christ almighty! Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry - Cult film directed by John Hough (Twins of Evil, The Legend of Hell House, Escape to Witch Mountain). It's a car film made the way they were supossed to be made. The film is basically a huge car chase, but it's so well-done. The car chases are filmed in such a way that you can just feel the power of the cars throughout the film. It's just filmed in such a sexy way. Good cast as well. Peter Fonda, Adam Roarke and Vic Morrow are all fantastic, and while Susan George is pretty poor acting-wise in this film, she brings the right type and right amount of attitude to the film which makes her great as well. The few dialogue-driven scenes were very impressive as well. Totally recommended if you like cars, car films and car chases. You don't see such powerful car chases anymore. It's beautiful! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 15, 2015 RoboCop - I had promised myself not to watch this, but my girlfriend really wanted to see it so I joined in to please here. It's far from as bad as I thought it would be, but still really poor. I'm not sure, but it feels as if the writer's completely missed the point of what RoboCop is all about, and they've more or less just turned it into a modern Hollywood shoot 'em up-film like a billion other films. It's just very meh. Very, very meh. Lots of poor special effects too, and RoboCop looks beyond retarded in this. What on earth were they thinking? They probably weren't. Useless film. I feel a bit sorry for José Padilha here. He should never have taken this job to begin with, no-one with respect for themselvs should, but from what I read he tried to change a lot of the script but was told no with every single idea he came up with. Shame, because he's a really talented guy and with more creative power I am sure he could've made this into something decent at least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 15, 2015 Patch Town - Cool, campy and silly Tim Burton-esque fantasy film with a superb villain. The film is very uneven, and the pacing feels a bit off at times, and the plot has its flaws. But it's enjoyable, and the thing that really makes this film cool, aside from a cool-as-fuck-villain, is the world that Craig Goodwill has created. It's dark and cold and very much Tim Burton-esque, but still something a bit fresh. Only problem is he doesn't explore this world enough, which is a proper shame. Rob Ramsay and Julian Richings are great in their roles, and especially Julian Richings is superb as the villain. A cool villain with a lovely tone and a brilliant apperance. I loved him a lot! A flawed film, but an enjoyable one. Recommended for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vitne Eveille 65 Posted September 17, 2015 I watched "True Story" the other day. Good movie! Beat, I actually really liked the new RoboCop. I was skeptical by the screenshots and stuff, but actually seeing it for real, I was quite pleased. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 17, 2015 The Warriors - Ultra badass thriller by Walter Hill. The kind of film that's so cool you'll start shouting and cheering at the screen. Walter Hill was good at what he was doing at this time, and everything about the film just screams awesome. From the way the different gangs are dressed to the way they move and to the way they they talk. Sure, it's all a bit banal and campy, but it's fucking awesome, and as I said, the attitude of the film is brilliant, so is the atmosphere. Stylish film! Awesome. Can you dig it? I know I can. The best thing about the film is the different gangs dress codes and shit. Silly and campy, but god that is so cool. All This Mayhem - A lovely documentary about the Pappas brothers, two of the best skateboarders throughout the 90's. This isn't a documentary about skateboarding, though, but an inspirational as well as a heartbreaking story about two aussie brothers who dared to dream big and archived what they dreamt of, and this document both their rise and fall. And neither of the bothers are portraid as an angel either, which is nice. The documentary is simply an emotional roller-coaster full of ups and downs, and you're doomer to get touched by it in a way or other. I'll admit that the way they bash Tony Hawk in this documentary is uncalled for, though. Should at least have let him defend himself or something. When you do something this way you come off as very butthurt. But that's just a very small part of this film, and the only flaw as I see it. But it's a very nice documentary. I liked it a lot. Starship Troopers - Do I need to say something about this? Ok, so some of the special effects haven't stood the test of time, and I am thinking about the CGI which at times is awful. But it's mixed with lovely practical effects, and it never gets too flashy, so it's something I can look past. But aside from that I am digging everything about this film. Paul Verhoeven is so fucking good! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 18, 2015 Hackers - This film is probably the closest thing I've come to a guilty pleasure. It's banal, it's silly and it's awfully campy, but there's just something here that brabs a hold to me. There's just something very likeable with this film, especially if you like camp as I very much do. It's just a fun film from begining to end. I'll like this film quitea lot. I love how all Hackers looks ridiculous in this film. And they all talk in a ridiculous way. It's hilarious. Anyway, this gif pretty much sums up this entire film: Mystery Road - Incredible Australian mystery-thriller with a superb Aaron Pedersen in the lead as a lone detective trying to figure out a murder. It's very straight-forward and offers nothing new to the genre, but it's a damn fine film anyway. Captivating from A to Z. The cinematography is, despite its simplicity, amazing and everything feels really stylish and cool. Noir-inspired, atmospheric and brilliant. Nothing short of that. Everything works out real good, but it's Aaron Pedersen who is this film. He is incredible here, and his facial expressions alone is more than enough to tell a story and drive this film by itself. Yeah, no, just see it, motherfuckers! 9+/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 18, 2015 Barefoot - I have not seen the german original, but this film had an interesting concept but was just so poorly executed from the characters to the acting and pacing. It offers a couple of tiny laughs, but that's about it. Nah, but I will be checking out the original one though. Stretch - Decent thrilling comedy, but it feels like director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smokin' Aces) is just trying too hard to make a cult film instead of focusing on making a good film. It's decent and I was entertained, but it could've been so much more than this. But the part with David Hasselhoff was amazing, though, and makes up for everything else. Easily my favourite part of the film, and is alone making the film worth your time. That was so good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 20, 2015 Manborg - One of the first films by the Canadian Astron-6 team, a team that focus on making cheap, cheesy 80's inspired filmmuch in the vein as Troma. Manborg is one big cheeseball of a film. A total cheese-o-rama from begining to end. This isn't good filmmaking in any way, but it's cool, pasionate filmmaking and a huge tribute to so-bad-it's-good films from the 70's and 80's. OK, the CGI is poor here, and I'd rather see it without CGI, but it is what it is. Everything else is great. Pure fun! The best parts of the film is the stop-motion animation. There's not much of it, but whenever there is it just melts my heart in an instant. It's beautiful, even though it's not Ray Harryhausen quality over it. Far from it. But stop-motion animation is for most part beautiful no matter how sloppy it is. I loe it! A lot better than Astron-6's Father's Day which was too long and was too much of a rollercoaster ride. But this one was great, and I have ever bigger expectations to The Editor which has finally leaked. I expect this to be an instant classic. A giallo-comedy? Oh dear! Will watch it during my annual october fest. 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jigsaw9 6783 Posted September 20, 2015 ^ OMG I had no idea The Editor was made by these guys! I already 'acquired' it, but now I have even more of an incentive to watch it. Also, Manborg is rad. xD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 20, 2015 Heh. I've been waiting for The Editor since forever now, atleast it feels like it. Thought it'd never get a proper release. It's one of those films I'm sure will end up in my small DVD-collection. It just looks so neat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nagisa 131 Posted September 20, 2015 Hercules (the one with Dwayne Johnson in it) Thought it was pretty good. It was interesting how they made him so human. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 21, 2015 Explorers - Really nice mid-80's children's sci-fi/fantasy flick with a lovely adventure feeling to it in the vein of The Goonies, directed by the then fantastic Joe Dante. It's just a really nice film and especially the first half is incredible. It does lose some of it's impact during the third act and drags on a bit at places, but it's still a very enjoyable ride from A to Z. And the three young kids, Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson were all great here. River Phoenix stood out among them. He just nails his role. Fantastic performance! It's a shame Joe Dante never got to actually finish this film properly. I wonder what it could've actually been if he did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 24, 2015 Shaolin Martial Arts - Another one of Chang Cheh's shaolin-themed films, and another stunning film. This mid-70's film is epic, but it's got that classic raw and powerful Chang Cheh-feeling to it. It's got a fairly standard story as far as martial arts films goes. Good guys takes a beating from bad guys, good guys goes into training and so on. Standard as fuck, but executed with enough flair and entusiasm fromdirector Chang Cheh and everyone involved, so it works very fine. The fights are superb, the characters are cool and the cast is immense. And the training segments are superb as well. Top class shit! The cast is great and features people like Gordon Liu, Billy Tang, Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan Chun, Simon Yuen, Leung Kar Yan, Wang Lung Wei and more, so it's another Chang CHeh all-star film, which is always great. It's the type of film I'd watch based on the cast alone. Superb stuff! Also, one of the deaths is among the most unexpected deaths I've ever seen on screen. Or, not the death itself, but the way the person did. I was seriously shocked at how he died and just jumped out of my sofa. Jesus, it was that good. Genius from Chang Cheh! There's also a shitload of cool refrences to Pai Mei/White eyebrow. Loved that! Anyway, perfection from Chang Cheh, this. Kung Fu Killer - Standard, but very cool martial arts action-thriller with Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung and Baoqiang Wang. It's good, and most fights are well-choreographed and executed, but a few of them are cut too rapidly. The film is also a bit too glossy at times, looking too polished. And the under-the-truck scenes were awful. Looked so bad. But I am a massive Donnie Yen fan, and this works really well for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 24, 2015 The Suicide Theory - A nice enough drama by Dru Brown with some excellent performances by Steve Mouzakis and Leon Cain. The premise is lovely in my eyes, as a suicidal man hires a hitman to kill him as he has this this theory he can't die, as he miraculously has survived his previous suicide attempts. As soon as you get to know the mens background it gets very predictable, but it was an enjoyable film despite that. Very enjoyable. The One I Love - Superb psychological thriller with standout performances by Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss. The concept is cool and the entie film is very playful and surprising. It felt fresh and both me and my girl enjoyed this film equally much. It fels very much The Twilight Zone-inspired, and this could easily have been an episode of The Twilight Zone. The Way Back OK adventure drama by Peter Weir, but when you think that his last three films before this was Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Truman Show and Fearless it's hard not to feel disappointed by a man you know can do so much better. While I do like Colin Farrell quite a lot, casting him as a polak was not a wise decision at all. Quite a stupid decision to be honest, and probably the weakest aspect of the film. The strongest being the gloomy atmosphere of the film. It was ok for what it was, but it both could and should have been so much more than what it actually is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 26, 2015 The Dead Lands - A a new zealand action-adventure in the vein of Apocalypto, focusing on maorian tribes. The film offers nothing new to the action-adventure genre, but it's a nice, violent and bloody adventure about honor loyalty, revenge and ancient tribal warfare. It's straight-forward, but the action, while cut too rapidly for my taste, makes up for it with its sheer brutality, it's visually stunning the cast is superb, especially Lawrence Makoare and Te Kohe Tuhaka are impressive here. I see no reason why you should not check out this epic action-adventure if you like Apocalypto, or hell, maybe even Valhalla Rising or The New World. Bounty Killer - A modern grindhouse film that is nothing more than that: a grindhouse film made to entertain, enterain some more and entertain even more. It's a very cool film too, even though some moments of CGI here and there drags it a bit down. But it's bloody, comic-book visual style is awesome and the cast is cool too, althought not great actors. I was impressed by Christian Pitre though, but that might have had something to do with her looks and clothes. Incredibly sexy! This is trash cinema, but it's good trash cinema in the vein of Hobo with a Shotgun, Machete, Nude Nuns with Big Guns and more. Sleazy fun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 26, 2015 Rape Squad - Great, fun early 70's rape & revenge exploitation flick. The film has this stupid "feminist message" telling us how all men are stupid pigs and should not be trusted, and then you have these sexy chicks walking around in clothes revealing nearly everything and shit. It's like two opposites meeting to be honest. But this is a fun exploitation flick. The rapist is awfully funny by the way. Jesus, I couldn't stop laughing every single time he opened up his mouth. Yeah, good trash cinema. I hope you run into a big mean 300 pound faggot killer, and I hope that faggot rips off your clothes and sodomizes you in your big fat ass! And, after all that, I hope you run into some dumb son of a bitch like yourself and he has the nerve to say something about laying back and enjoying it! Hilarious! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 28, 2015 Blastfighter - Cult action film by Lamberto Bava, son of genius filmmaker Mario Bava. This film was originally written as a remake of Mad Max, but after a quick rewrite it turned out as a trashy, exploitation-esque version of Rambo: First Blood and Deliverance, rather than anything Mad Max-esque. It's not great filmmaking at al, but it's an utter cool, badass and highly entertaining action film with some superb action. Michael Sopkiw is superb as our main man, and he pulls off his mustache in a great way. Looks sexy as fuck! Also, the score is superb. Just listen to this track, guys: Oh fuck, that's the kind of shit that gives you a boner that lasts for weeks. Beautiful! Special ID - A standard, run-of-the-mill Donnie Yen flik that is nothing out of the ordinary, but Donnie Yen is given the freedom to do what he does best, which is why the film is so entertaining. It's pretty campy at times, much due to the dialogue and soundtrack, but it offers more than enough thrills to keep you interested for 100 minutes, and the action is great. It's more often than not shot from a certain distance that lets you see what the fighters are actually doing, and while the fights are cut to make them look more awesome than what they are, it's not cut to death in any way. The cinematography is great too, especially the outdoors nightscene in the rain. A real pleasure to the eye. Donnie Yen is amazing as always. Fucking love this guy so much. Time Lapse - Superb sci-fi-thriller with a small-budget and really cool plot. It's an exciting film that kept me on the edge of the chair for the majority of its runtime. The pacing is perfect, and while a couple of the characters are easy to hate in a way, they're just as easy to like. An intense and very entertaining film. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 29, 2015 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - Let me just start of with the title: OK, the titles don't mean shit to me, but couldn't they've found something a bit different? Cloudier with a Chance of More Meatballs or something like that? Nah, fuck that. Anyway, I quite liked the first film despite its overly polished computer animation. It had the story, the characters, the innovation and originality that you rarely find in animated film of this size nowadays. It was fresh, hilarious and cool. The sequel? Well, my first thought was that there wasn't any need to do a sequel. The first one didn't really ask for it, other than the popularity of it. It's an unnecessary sequel. Is it good though? Yeah, I think so. Not quite as innovative, original and fresh as the first, but it's good. It's exciting, and it's got a great villain who is surprisingly evil, willing to kill people and everything. And it's lovely that it continues just seond after the first film ended. That was a nice change. It's a fun film. Really loved all those Jurassic Park refrences adn well as the puns and wordplays. Yeah, I liked the film. Clash of the Titans - No, I have not seen the shit remake from 2010. I've rewatched the original Clash of the Titans, and I enjoyed it just as much now as I did 5-7 years ago. I won't say much about this, but it's a Ray Harryhausen film, and that alone makes it a must for anybody into film. He didn't direct it, didn't act in it, didn't lend his voice to any of the characters, he produced the film, and more importantly, did the special effects, and like in all the films he features, he's the star of the film. Beautifully animated creatures that'll give you the most massive boner you've had in years. He is among the biggest name in the world of films to me, and Clash of the Titans is an excellent example to find out why I think so. Is it as good as Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad or The Beast from 20,000? No, it's not even close. It's more on the level of films such as The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, 20 Million Miles to Earth and a few more. Which means while it's not perfect, it's still absolutely brilliant and a must-see in my eyes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ray Harryhausen could do no wrong. He did no wrong. The plot and screenplay could be poor and the acting even worse, the budget low and the director bad, but at the end of the day Ray Harryhausen would do hat only he could do and save the film with his immense talents. What a man! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonsaijodelfisch 328 Posted September 29, 2015 just watched avengers 2 sth ultron sth and as expected i could just have stared at a colorfull screensaver or whatever for 2:30 hours. these goddamn marvel films are all so horribly dialed in, everything so predictable and seen 1000 times before. the most uninspired action scenes, flattest characters and just this incredibly annoying sense of "ok, we need to now transition to this next product placement scene. today is samsung, after that comes audi and inbetween we still have this deal with skype..." ugh i really don't understand how these things make so much money. I mean, they're not actively annoying or disturbingly bad, they're just so completely irrelevant and unremarkable Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted September 30, 2015 The Bare-Footed Kid - Superb Johnnie To remake of the classic Chang Cheh flick Disciples of Shaolin. Is it as good as Disciples of Shaolin? No, not quite, but it's still a martial arts masterpiece. Among the cast is Aaron Kwok, one of my personal favourites Ti Lung and Maggie Cheung, all fantastic actors of course, as well as other solid actors. The fights are well-choreographed and more often than not they're brilliant, but that's not all it's got: it's got a good plot and story. Superb film, but if I had to choose I'd choose the original which I consider the better film. But both are worth watching! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
