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“Everyone loves you and you’re never in any of the pictures. That last part is about to...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Courier (2020) in Movies
Aug 16, 2021
Cumberbatch is brilliant. (1 more)
Great real life history lesson
A peerless Cumberbatch and a miscast Buckley.
It's not to be confused with the Olga Kurylenko / Gary Oldman 2019 movie of the same title. But with a fresh Berlin current-day Russian spy scandal in the news this week, seeing the cold war spy drama "The Courier" is a timely thing to do.
Positives:
- Benedict Cumberbatch is outstandingly good in this. He could have been born to play the slightly bemused English gentlemen of the time. All golf, tweed suits and gentlemen's clubs. No spoilers, but there is a physical transformation as well that's impressive to observe. The film would have been decidedly so-so I think without that core central performance.
- The film is based on a true story. As someone who was born in 1961, it's a good reminder to count our blessings that you, me and everyone else are still around to live our lives at all. The world was on the brink of a precipice and learning the story of Wynne's part in this was insightful history.
- There's a nice catchy Russian-themed score by Abel Korzeniowski.
Negatives:
- I'm a big fan of Jessie Buckley. Really, I am. And to be fair to her, her performance is really good. I particularly liked a scene where she dismissed on the doorstep a local busybody. But I just didn't see her as Wynne's pearl-neckless-wearing wife in this part. Perhaps the problem is that although there's a 13 year age gap between the leads, I always imagine Buckley as being much younger that her 31 years. For whatever reason, the casting didn't work for me.
Summary Thoughts on "The Courier": As a true-life spy story, the movie is interesting and Cumberbatch's performance is brilliant. But I can't say that I was 100% grabbed by it. While having a few moments of high drama and tension - particularly one on a plane - I never felt that to be maintained for enough of the movie. Director Dominic Cooke has a limited filmography (with the Saoirse Ronan movie "On Chesil Beach" being his only other feature) and writer Tom O'Connor is the guy behind the more flippant "Hitman's Bodyguard" films. Perhaps a more experienced writer/director team would have elevated this to a higher level.
So it's eminently watchable but not memorable. Just a marginal hit in my book.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Positives:
- Benedict Cumberbatch is outstandingly good in this. He could have been born to play the slightly bemused English gentlemen of the time. All golf, tweed suits and gentlemen's clubs. No spoilers, but there is a physical transformation as well that's impressive to observe. The film would have been decidedly so-so I think without that core central performance.
- The film is based on a true story. As someone who was born in 1961, it's a good reminder to count our blessings that you, me and everyone else are still around to live our lives at all. The world was on the brink of a precipice and learning the story of Wynne's part in this was insightful history.
- There's a nice catchy Russian-themed score by Abel Korzeniowski.
Negatives:
- I'm a big fan of Jessie Buckley. Really, I am. And to be fair to her, her performance is really good. I particularly liked a scene where she dismissed on the doorstep a local busybody. But I just didn't see her as Wynne's pearl-neckless-wearing wife in this part. Perhaps the problem is that although there's a 13 year age gap between the leads, I always imagine Buckley as being much younger that her 31 years. For whatever reason, the casting didn't work for me.
Summary Thoughts on "The Courier": As a true-life spy story, the movie is interesting and Cumberbatch's performance is brilliant. But I can't say that I was 100% grabbed by it. While having a few moments of high drama and tension - particularly one on a plane - I never felt that to be maintained for enough of the movie. Director Dominic Cooke has a limited filmography (with the Saoirse Ronan movie "On Chesil Beach" being his only other feature) and writer Tom O'Connor is the guy behind the more flippant "Hitman's Bodyguard" films. Perhaps a more experienced writer/director team would have elevated this to a higher level.
So it's eminently watchable but not memorable. Just a marginal hit in my book.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Sarah (7800 KP) rated My Movies Pro - Movie & TV in Apps
Nov 3, 2017
Brilliant for organisation
If you're like me and like to keep a record of all of the things you own, then this app is perfect for dvds and blurays. Prior to finding this, I was cataloguing my titles manually on a spreadsheet, so this app is a godsend.
At the time of purchasing I had over 300 dvds and blurays, and it was so easy to use this app to record them all. For most, I used the barcode scanner which is a really handy tool and impressively picked up all of the right information, even for foreign region discs.
Sadly I've since gotten rid of all my dvds in favour of blurays only, so my collection has decreased significantly but I still find it so useful to be able to catalogue them on here. It even lets you mark titles that you've lent out to others, which is very handy if you're on the forgetful side!
There have been a few glitches over the years, like titles not appearing under the right letter, but this is still a fantastic cataloguing tool and well worth the cost if you have loads of dvds or blurays. The free version only allows 50.
At the time of purchasing I had over 300 dvds and blurays, and it was so easy to use this app to record them all. For most, I used the barcode scanner which is a really handy tool and impressively picked up all of the right information, even for foreign region discs.
Sadly I've since gotten rid of all my dvds in favour of blurays only, so my collection has decreased significantly but I still find it so useful to be able to catalogue them on here. It even lets you mark titles that you've lent out to others, which is very handy if you're on the forgetful side!
There have been a few glitches over the years, like titles not appearing under the right letter, but this is still a fantastic cataloguing tool and well worth the cost if you have loads of dvds or blurays. The free version only allows 50.
Merissa (13015 KP) rated Of Land and Sky (Wraidd Elfennol #3) in Books
Dec 21, 2017
Of Land and Sky (Wraidd Elfennol #3) by Morgan Sheppard
Of Land and Sky is the third book in the Wraidd Elfennol series, and it starts approximately sixty years after Water Weaver.
The world of Wraidd Elfennol has been in balance since the original Chosen went on their quest, but now new Chosen of Earth and Air have been announced. Bran and Rhosyn don't get on very well to begin with, but they have to learn to work together. With their Partners ever ready with words of wisdom, we stay with them as they bring the trees back to life.
This is a very different book to Water Weaver - more introverted. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but I'm really pleased with the results. There are many lessons in this book if you choose to see them, from family to love.
Fair warning though - this book had me sobbing towards the end. I knew it would happen, but that didn't lessen the impact in any way!
A brilliant addition to the series, and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements fora review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The world of Wraidd Elfennol has been in balance since the original Chosen went on their quest, but now new Chosen of Earth and Air have been announced. Bran and Rhosyn don't get on very well to begin with, but they have to learn to work together. With their Partners ever ready with words of wisdom, we stay with them as they bring the trees back to life.
This is a very different book to Water Weaver - more introverted. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but I'm really pleased with the results. There are many lessons in this book if you choose to see them, from family to love.
Fair warning though - this book had me sobbing towards the end. I knew it would happen, but that didn't lessen the impact in any way!
A brilliant addition to the series, and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements fora review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (13015 KP) rated Make Me Whole (Isle of the Forgotten, #2.5) in Books
May 19, 2017
Make Me Whole (Isle of the Forgotten, #2.5) by Tiffany Roberts
Make Me Whole is the perfect little bridge novella between Make Me Hunger and Make Me Yours. It is a story involving Quil, who we met in the previous book, as he returns to the village and woman he left so many years before. Whilst he is there, he discovers that the villagers are dying of a plague caused by a necromancer. The bodies are placed upon a ship, but we don't yet know where they are going. This is an introduction to the next book, as the twins are mentioned.
For only a novella, there is still a lot going on, with plenty of action and a fast pace. It was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. It also gives you more of an idea of the different Gods, and their meaning. With the Council and the Order in disarray, and betrayal coming from every direction, this is a brilliant addition to the series. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
For only a novella, there is still a lot going on, with plenty of action and a fast pace. It was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. It also gives you more of an idea of the different Gods, and their meaning. With the Council and the Order in disarray, and betrayal coming from every direction, this is a brilliant addition to the series. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dean (6927 KP) rated Dead Island in Video Games
Jul 17, 2017
Great Graphics (4 more)
Huge areas to explore
Free roam mostly
Different characters
20-30 hours game time 1st time round
Some tricky bits to get past (1 more)
Losing custom weapons
Zombie Island vacation
A brilliant game going back a few years now. You have huge areas to roam as you please most of the time with a few key points to complete to advance. If you want to jump in a jeep and run down zombies you can! The game is huge and with a lot of exploring will take over 20 hours to complete first time round. You have a few players with different skills you can build on to add to the replay value. The graphics were great for the time, bright colorful and detailed. You can create custom weapons with various abilities. The only real downside was if you died sometimes it could mean a good 5 minutes or more to get back to that area to try again. Some of the enemies got repetitive and were just a higher level later on. Overall though a game to lose yourself in for hours as you bash zombies in a tropical paradise. It has almost a cinematic quality at times. Wouldn't surprise me if it gets a film one day.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Gone Girl (2014) in Movies
Aug 23, 2017
Rosamund Pike (1 more)
The plot was interesting
Ben Affleck... I Just hate him okay (1 more)
I guessed the ending.
One of the biggest let downs.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but personal opinion I just really didn't care for this movie that much. My biggest problem was everybody just talked about how there was no movie like this the story was so unique the plot twist was going to blow you away when I managed to guess the plot twist with no problem whatsoever so to say I was really disappointed is a bit of an understatement.
I found a majority of the movie to be very monotone and boring which for me basically sums up Ben Affleck's acting but what can I say I've just never been a fan of the guy.
Okay so it wasn't all bad the parts that I did like was Rosamund Pike really stole the entire movie she was brilliant I really liked her character as well as her acting was top notch I really bought her as Amy Dunne. My favorite scene was the bedroom scene with her and Neil Patrick Harris if there was more of that through out they movie I would have probably liked it more.
I found a majority of the movie to be very monotone and boring which for me basically sums up Ben Affleck's acting but what can I say I've just never been a fan of the guy.
Okay so it wasn't all bad the parts that I did like was Rosamund Pike really stole the entire movie she was brilliant I really liked her character as well as her acting was top notch I really bought her as Amy Dunne. My favorite scene was the bedroom scene with her and Neil Patrick Harris if there was more of that through out they movie I would have probably liked it more.
SummerLGrant (185 KP) rated Marvel's Luke Cage - Season 1 in TV
Aug 11, 2017
Luke Cage - obviously (2 more)
Claire Temple gets some more screen time
More back story
Slower with less tension (1 more)
I feel Luke deserved a better story
Another decent Marvel show
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was all hyped up for this one but was left feeling a little disappointed and I'm not sure why. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great show with some brilliant action scenes and puts forward Luke's backstory. After being a side character in Jessica Jones it's good to see a bit more about his life and how he settles into Harlem.
It's possible that his story, while nice to see, wasn't as good as it could have been - the backstory is but what he went through in the present day was far too slow and could've picked up a bit. The ending unravelled a bit but I like the idea that his past caught up with him and for someone who seems to have such a good heart it's nice to see that he's happy to accept that and serve the time he owes.
I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops in The Defenders, especially since he'll be reunited with Jessica Jones after the development of his relationship with Claire.
It's possible that his story, while nice to see, wasn't as good as it could have been - the backstory is but what he went through in the present day was far too slow and could've picked up a bit. The ending unravelled a bit but I like the idea that his past caught up with him and for someone who seems to have such a good heart it's nice to see that he's happy to accept that and serve the time he owes.
I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops in The Defenders, especially since he'll be reunited with Jessica Jones after the development of his relationship with Claire.
Micah Ulibarri (79 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Apr 7, 2018
Willy Wonka for the Digital Age
I went in to this movie somewhat cautious. I hadn't read the book, but the trailers looked very overwhelming.
I was excited to see that though it was very visually stimulating, I did not feel overwhelmed, just enamoured. 20 minutes in told my wife I would be seeing it again and the next time hopefully in a 3D IMAX. I want to be able to fully appreciate the visual beauty.
I also really enjoyed the theme. I found it particularly relevant. The character growth is almost subtle, but the point of it is very strong. In an age where we are all stuck to screens, Ready Player one has a very strong message.
Acting Kudos to Mark Rylance for being the brilliant billionaire. Unfortunately the characters being digital for more than half the movie makes it hard to really see their acting chops.
I also enjoyed all the pop culture references. Even though I felt like a lot of them were just before my time. 80s references and earlier and I'm a 90s kid.
All in all, I think it will stand the test of time on both a visual and message level. And everyone should see it and appreciate what a movie experience can be.
I was excited to see that though it was very visually stimulating, I did not feel overwhelmed, just enamoured. 20 minutes in told my wife I would be seeing it again and the next time hopefully in a 3D IMAX. I want to be able to fully appreciate the visual beauty.
I also really enjoyed the theme. I found it particularly relevant. The character growth is almost subtle, but the point of it is very strong. In an age where we are all stuck to screens, Ready Player one has a very strong message.
Acting Kudos to Mark Rylance for being the brilliant billionaire. Unfortunately the characters being digital for more than half the movie makes it hard to really see their acting chops.
I also enjoyed all the pop culture references. Even though I felt like a lot of them were just before my time. 80s references and earlier and I'm a 90s kid.
All in all, I think it will stand the test of time on both a visual and message level. And everyone should see it and appreciate what a movie experience can be.
An unexpected gem
I decided to read this book purely based on the reviews on here and on Goodreads. It sounded so different to my usual reads that I thought it'd be worth trying, and I'm very thankful I did.
It started off a little unsure, but this could have been down to me getting used to the style of writing and language style used to represent the characters and gods. However it soon picks up and really draws you in. It's an epic tale spanning so many different aspects of Greek gods and mythology. I could barely believe so many mythological tales had been spun into this, and not only that but done brilliant well. It's such a comprehensive and intriguing tale of the goddess Circe, who is a well rounded and feisty female protagonist. I really struggled to put this book down, and my only disappointment is that it took so long to read, and that it ended too of course. I could have quite happily read on about many more tales of Greek gods and mythology woven into Circe's life.
For me this book was pure escapism. Well written and highly captivating, diving into a book about gods and goddesses is a fantastic way to escape the dreary realities of real life.
It started off a little unsure, but this could have been down to me getting used to the style of writing and language style used to represent the characters and gods. However it soon picks up and really draws you in. It's an epic tale spanning so many different aspects of Greek gods and mythology. I could barely believe so many mythological tales had been spun into this, and not only that but done brilliant well. It's such a comprehensive and intriguing tale of the goddess Circe, who is a well rounded and feisty female protagonist. I really struggled to put this book down, and my only disappointment is that it took so long to read, and that it ended too of course. I could have quite happily read on about many more tales of Greek gods and mythology woven into Circe's life.
For me this book was pure escapism. Well written and highly captivating, diving into a book about gods and goddesses is a fantastic way to escape the dreary realities of real life.