
The Sexy Brutale
Video Game Watch
Join the never-ending masked ball at “The Sexy Brutale” casino mansion – a...

The Infinite Monkey Cage: How to Build a Universe
Robin Ince and Brian Cox
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The Infinite Monkey Cage, the legendary BBC Radio 4 programme, brings you this irreverent...
Science mathematics

Attack on Titan Vol. 33
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The blockbuster action manga that inspired the epic anime stampedes towards its climax! The saga of...

The March of Folly
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From the distinguished American historian whose work has been acclaimed around the world, a major...

Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas
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One of the most celebrated comics titles of the late 1990s, PREACHER is a modern American epic of...

The Test (Animorphs, #43)
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Tobias, the other Animorphs, and Ax have seen things so bizarre that no sane person would believe...

The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane, #2)
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Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own...

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Favourite (2018) in Movies
Jan 24, 2019
And I'm glad I did for THE FAVOURITE is a biting, funny, sarcastic, bizarre, intense and interesting Royal Court drama about the inner workings, back channel dealings and backstabbing social climbing in Queen Anne's court in England in the early 18th Century as seen through Lanthimos' camera lens - a lens that is different indeed.
Starring Oscar winners Rachel Weisz (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and Emma Stone (LA LA LAND) in their Oscar nominated turns as cousins who vie for the attentions of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman, also Oscar nominated), it is the rare film that features 3 strong women who play off each other well and where each one is a full character in and of themselves - all 3 with strengths and weaknesses that make them real and compelling and performed by 3 strong actresses. Needless to say that each Oscar nod is well deserved.
But the real star of this film is the sensibilities and camera work of Lanthimos. He uses unusual camera angles, unusual angles and bizarre imagery to show the unreality of the court in relation to the real world around them and is a commentary on these people as much as it shows the action on the screen. This film is an artist with a true, unique vision and is one that, while not for everyone, is one that worked for me.
Lanthimos layers on a rich tapestry of story (by Oscar nominated Screenplay writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara) locations (by Oscar nominated Production Designers Fijona Crombie and Alice Felton), Costumes (by Oscar nominated costumer Sandy Powell) , editing (by Oscar nominated Yorgos Mavropsaridis), Cinematography (by Oscar nominated Robbie Ryan) and performances, direction and film.
I think you get the point - this film has become (rightfully so) a darling of the Awards season and is well worth checking out - while this film is not entirely successful in what it attempts to do, it is fun to watch the attempt and the strong performances, characters, direction, costumes, cinematography, etc...which more than makes up for any shortcomings in the story (especially the final act of the film).
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)

Running with Scissors: A Memoir
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'This is the Brady Bunch on Viagra...it is impossible not to laugh at all the jokes; to admire the...
Biography memoir LGBT+ mental health