Chloe (778 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Feb 1, 2021
The ending is silly, far too clean and sudden new powers save the day. Very melodramatic, over the top.
Mel (490 KP) rated Snow, Glass, Apples in Books
Oct 9, 2019
Picnic at Hanging Rock
7.9
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When three schoolgirls and a teacher from Appleyard College disappear on Valentine's Day in 1900,...
Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink (Pilgrims, #1)
8.0
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Book
Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading,...
Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allen Poe
9.0
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Book
The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe is a brilliant collection of some of his best-known stories: The Tell...
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
8.0
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Book
It's true — all of it! The blockbuster movie jumps from the big screen to the comic-book page!...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Around the world in 80 days in TV
Jan 30, 2022
One of Jules Vernes most famous novels, and the inspiration for many a movie (and even a 80s cartoon).
I've never seen or heard of a TV series until this one, which - in retrospect - actually surprised me quite a bit, as you think the story would (and does) lend itself perfectly to the episodic nature of the journey.
This adaptation stars David Tennant in the lead role, alongside strong support from Ibrahim Koma as the French valet Passepartout and Leonie Benesch as the gender flipped/reimagined journalist Abigail Fix (instead of Inspector Fix), while still keeping its late Victorian setting.
Yes, you know how it is going to end.
Still very enjoyable!
David McK (3425 KP) rated V for Vendetta (2005) in Movies
Oct 23, 2022
The story, then, has more than a hint of The Phantom of the Opera about it - both involve masked figures who live in the shadowy underworld, both involve melodrama and a star-crossed love story - with Hugo Weaving never once showing his face through the entire runtime, but still - impressively - able to convey his emotions through his acting.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Ghost in the Shell (2017) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
As an adaptation, fans of the franchise will be pleased to know that Ghost in the shell nails the aesthetic and tone of the source material to provide a stunning, “lived in” future world. The special effects are excellent and really shine to bring this film to life and help us understand the world these characters inhabit.
The characters themselves, while “cool,” lack any real depth. It is not that Scarlet Johansson does an excellent job at being pensive and fits the role fine. It is just that there is no real human quality to her for us to attach to. Instead, everything she does feel “robotic.” Similar to her performance in Lucy with a little bit of Black Widow from the marvel universe crossed in.
Yes, I know she is supposed to be a cyborg. But the film wants us to believe she has actual interest in finding out who she was before the “accident,” but she shows very little human emotion to get us there. Furthermore, if she was the first human mind saved and put into a cyborg body, why doesn’t she show more human emotion when she starts to uncover her past. Meanwhile, her partner, Batou (Pilou Asbaek) showcases just slightly more emotion because he likes to feed stray dogs, however in his case, we at least understand that he is a loyal solder and friend to Major, and thus understand why he is along for the ride.
Additionally (or perhaps as a result) the story suffers from some pacing issues as the film doesn’t always provide clear or strong markers to help the viewer understand what exactly is motivating the characters throughout the film. Rather the film often holds a bit too long on sequences in an attempt to showcase the beautiful world and let the view ponder their own meaning of what they are watching.
This becomes problematic as the characters never really become likeable or establish any depth beyond the paint by numbers plot. Human becomes Cyborg, Cyborg works for a corporation/government, Cyborg figures out they have been lied to, revenge ensues.
In the end, I found myself checking my watch more than I had hoped as the film felt long and tired. If it wasn’t for the stunning world created on screen I would have been completely bored. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this film. I cannot help but think that if this film had come out in 1999, it would have been amazing!
But in 2017 it feels average at best. Still, Ghost in the Shell is an adequate adaptation that fans of the franchise will enjoy. However I feel this adaptation does not help elevate the franchise beyond what the 1995 Anime has already accomplished.
The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre
Book
If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout...