Smashbomb

"The first one would be Souls For Sale, which was actually written and directed by Howard Hughes’ uncle, Rupert Hughes. It was based on a novel that Rupert Hughes wrote. He had been an author and a playwright and he had been brought to Hollywood in 1918 as sort of an effort that Samuel Goldwyn did to bring famous authors into the movies to try increase the qualities of movies. Rupert Hughes had just fallen in love with Hollywood and once it started being attacked after the scandals of the 1920s, he wanted to defend what he felt was an industry that was getting a bad rap. He wrote this novel and they made a movie out of it called Souls For Sale, and it’s about the daughter of a fire-and-brimstone preacher who escapes her brand new husband, who she has a bad feeling about, and ends up in a movie and immediately becomes a huge star. It basically tells the story of this girl encountering the movie industry, and at every moment where something sort of dirty or scandalous could happen, she actually finds that the people in Hollywood are really hard-working and upstanding citizens and are a higher quality of human than – for instance – her treacherous husband. It’s a really interesting movie. It’s definitely an artifact of its time and place – and you could say that more literally about it than many other movies because it has kind of a documentary element about it. The director really goes out of his way to show you what the studio lots looked like in 1923, and he films other directors like Charlie Chaplin working. It’s a movie that I had never heard of before as I was doing research [for the book], and I think it’s probably the earliest sort of Hollywood movie about Hollywood."

Source

Kudos

Kaz (232 KP) rated The Silence (2019) in Movies

Jul 6, 2019 (Updated Jul 7, 2019)

The idea of the film (0 more)

The chemistry/development between the characters, the predictable story, the ending, the CGI (0 more)

A mediocre film

Contains spoilers, click to show

Even though 'The Silence' is based on a novel in its own right, it's impossible not to compare this to 'A Quiet Place'. Unfortunately, 'A Quiet Place' is a much better film.

The chemistry between the characters in 'A Quiet Place' was very good, I cared about what happened to them, which made that film successful. With 'The Silence', the characters felt one dimensional and, even thought they were a family, their relationship seemed very forced. I found some of the decisions that they made throughout the film, to be really implausible.

Also, what gave 'A Quiet Place' a sense of authenticity, was the fact that the deaf character in the story, was played be a deaf actress. In 'The Silence', this wasn't the case.

I thought that the plot at the beginning was predictable, but passable. However, towards the end of the film, a threat from a sect was inexplicably thrown in, and for me, the film completely unraveled.

'The Silence' had a few jump scares, but this film didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. The creatures themselves, were a cross between 'Gremlins' and dinosaurs from 'Jurassic Park' and it wasn't particularly scary, because of their bad CGI.

Despite its flaws, I stayed watching until the end of the film and to be honest, I wish I hadn't. The ending was rushed and unsatisfactory. It didn't have much of a resolution at all and left me wondering if I'd missed something, as everything was resolved so quickly.

If you want to watch an 'apocalyptic/monsters taking over the world 'type of a film, I don't recommend watching 'The Silence'. Watch 'A Quiet Place' instead.

Kudos

David McK (3623 KP) rated Sharpe's Rifles in TV

Jul 11, 2021

Sharpe's Rifles

1993 | Action

7.5

(2 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Sean Bean as Sharpe (0 more)

Lack of Budget sometimes shows (0 more)

The first of the Sharpe adaptations from the early-to mid '90s, based on what was then the earlies set novel in Bernard Cornwell's long-running series set during the Napoleonic Wars.

I say what-was-then, because - since the culmination of the various TV movies, and even right up to date (the most recent to be released in a few months time, in late 2021), Cornwell has released plenty more such novels, quite a few of which are set even before the start of the Napoleonic Wars, never mind those set 'in-between' the core set of novels; said set of which provided the basis for the TV adaptations.

And that is what these are: an adaptation, rather than a straight re-telling. Sharpe, for instance, is supposed to be a dark haired Londoner rather than fair-haired Cockney (although Sean Bean's portrayal would win over Cornwell, who would later 'retrofit' his character to be closer to Sean Bean). That is probably for the better: literature and film, after all, are two distinct mediums: what works in one may not work in another.

To this day, though, I would still love to see a proper big-screen adaptation, with the budget to match, of one of these stories ...

Kudos

Global Norms and Local Courts: Translating the Rule of Law in Bangladesh

Tobias Berger

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

What happens to transnational norms when they travel from one place to another? How do norms change...

The Breadwinner (2017)

7.6 (7 Ratings) Rate It

Movie Watch

Director Nora Twomey's The Breadwinner, based on Deborah Ellis' award-winning novel, breathes life...

animation

Consuming Stories: Kara Walker and the Imagining of American Race

Rebecca Peabody

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Book

In Consuming Stories, Rebecca Peabody uses the work of contemporary American artist Kara Walker to...

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Delta in Books

Apr 4, 2019

Delta

Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | History & Politics, Mystery, Paranormal

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Suitable for anyone who wants to enjoy a short story, Delta is the latest novella by the versatile Jordan Elizabeth. Based on an historical event but with purely fictional characters, the author weaves real life and paranormal/fantasy together to create a gripping tale.

Set in the years leading up to the time a small village was flooded to create Lake Delta in 1917, the short story focuses on the Madison family who believe the plans will never come to fruition. As the years pass, neighbours begin receiving eviction letters but the family remain steadfast in their belief that their land won't be affected.

Meanwhile, the protagonist Lottie is given the task to deliver daily baskets of food to her Aunt Flora, a lady housebound in a cottage in the woods, however, Lottie is forbidden to ever enter the house.

As Lottie grows up with the threat of the flood becoming more of a reality, she begins to question why her parents are so convinced that all will be okay. In the months leading to her 17th birthday, she overhears her parents speaking of magic, but surely magic isn't real? She is soon to discover the painful truth and learn that she is not who she thinks she is.

Delta was quick to read and the ten year storyline sped by. The fast pace makes readers eager to reach the conclusion, a conclusion that is in no way predictable.

Whilst short, Delta is definitely worth reading. It is perfect for those moments when you need something to do but can't commit to reading a longer novel.