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Kinky Boots
Kinky Boots
2012 | Comedy, Musical
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Show Rating
Not as good as West End or Broadway but still fantastic!
Every now and then, a Kinky Boots song appears on my Spotify shuffle. I'm particularly fond of Land of Lola and Raise You Up. The costumes, the songs, the energy! It was so brilliant! We were on our feet the whole time! It was like watching a live Drag Show and I'm already a huge fan of Rupauls Drag Race. Lol was played by Kayi Ushe, a stunningly tree of a man who made the most gorgeous Lola. His voice was entrancing! And Charlie was played by Joel Harper-Jackson, and was absolutely perfect in playing a shy awkward man who turned into a confident sexy shoe maker! And I only remember her because she was on Corrie but Paula Lane played Charlie's love interest. Overall it was a brilliant show and as much as it may have been better on Broadway or the West End, I'm proud to have watched it in my home town and support the fabulous actors!
  
Koroshiya 1 (Ichi the Killer) (2001)
Koroshiya 1 (Ichi the Killer) (2001)
2001 | Action, Comedy, International
A wicked cocktail of "Looney Tunes", π˜›π˜©π˜¦ 𝘏𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘦 π˜›π˜©π˜’π˜΅ π˜‘π˜’π˜€π˜¬ π˜‰π˜Άπ˜ͺ𝘭𝘡, 𝘊𝘳𝘒𝘯𝘬, and about 18 bags of crystal meth. Seldom has the term "bloodbath" ever been meant so literally, features perhaps the most gruesome and deeply unsettling throat slashes in all of cinema - and there's plenty of them. Remember that gag from 𝘏𝘰𝘡 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘡𝘴! π˜—π˜’π˜³π˜΅ π˜‹π˜¦π˜Άπ˜Ή where the little body count counter was in the corner of the screen while Charlie Sheen was gunning through hilarious amounts of enemies? That's pretty much this whole movie. Has such a primal sense of hyper, grisly fun - sets up one impossibly over-the-top scenario and then immediately tops it, rinse and repeat for 130 minutes. If it wasn't already clear that Tadanobu Asano is one of Japan's coolest and most magnetic actors then this makes the case ten-fold. He plays the role of Kakihara with an effortless, ice-cold, commanding gravitas. And that wardrobe! Just sadistically entertaining up and down, the type of film that makes you think like a juvenile psychopath.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dig (2021) in Movies

Feb 6, 2021 (Updated Feb 6, 2021)  
The Dig (2021)
The Dig (2021)
2021 | Drama, History
7
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
True-life Anglo-Saxon chronicle is brought to the screen as another wartime hats-and-fags tale of class and repression. Posh woman hires blunt-but-brilliant working-class bloke to examine her mounds (don't snipe, the film does the same gag, more or less); what ensues reminded me, for a while at least, of a big-budget version of Ted and Ralph with Carey Mulligan playing Charlie Higson's part.

Really a film of two halves: the first part, which is very quiet and still and all about figures in a landscape with Vaughan Williams-esque music playing, I found was much engaging than the second, which is not particularly focused and turns into a bit of a soap opera (there's a forbidden romance, terminal illness, political squabbling over who gets to run the dig and keep the treasure, etc, etc). Decent performances from a strong cast and it looks good in a fairly cinematic way, but by the end it seemed to me that archaeology in general and Sutton Hoo in particular had rather been forgotten about, which seemed like a shame.
  
Bumblebee (2018)
Bumblebee (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
I'm really torn by this film. I enjoyed it but at the same time it isn't amazing. It's got all the classic formulas in it. Charlie is still trying to make sense of her father's death. Bumblebee is trying to remember who he is. Together they help each other... it really could be one of many films.

Something I'm pleased to discover is that other people were getting Herbie vibes from this. In the notes I was jotting down for my review I put "this would make a pretty good Herbie story". And then I pondered the possibility that Herbie was a Transformer who was broken and stuck in his Beetle shape.

The opening battle on Cyberton is surprisingly natural considering it's made up of CGId robots. It makes for a great opening. But I wasn't wowed. I should have been blown away by the effects and I just wasn't.

Bumblebee as a character was a real joy. After his memory is damaged he's basically back to being a scared little boy and the animation reflects that incredibly well. Everything about him is inquisitive and childlike, and all the little touches are there to really bring him to life. He's very human in the moments before he gets his memory back.

There are so many of his scenes that were genuinely pleasing to watch. Him waving at Charlie as she chases after them. The cassette tapes. The extended toilet paper prank and house demolition scenes. Probably my favourite bit though is where he's sitting in the forest and she's trying to fix him, his fidgeting is adorable.

When it comes to the cast feels like we've got the members of a comedy working on a drama/action film. They work well with what they've got and we get some enjoyable performances but there's nothing that really sticks in the memory.

I still enjoyed Bumblebee but I can't say that I found it to be any better than previous films in the franchise, certainly not on the action and graphics side of things. The soundtrack is full of some classic tunes that are very well placed, and the overall vibe of that combined with everything else is spot on for the 80s. You do forget it's set in 1987 though, which means that little things pop up like the TV and the technology that the military have and you feel like the films has already dated.

This is the first Transformers movie to get a PG rating in the UK, previously they've all been rated 12. It's definitely family friendly... but... it reminds me more and more of Herbie every moment I think about it.

As a last thought... seriously, Charlie? You have your moments. "If we're driving down the street and we see someone you have to hide"... if you're driving down the street he's a car anyway, hiding would make it more obvious that he's not just a car. You draw more attention to Bee than he does. Blindfolding yourself with Memo's shirt (weird moment in the film by the way, creepily out of place) and then standing out the sunroof? That won't make you more noticeable to passersby.

What you should do

It's an enjoyable film and should make for a fun family outing. I don't think there's any particular rush to see it in the cinema though.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Who wouldn't want they're own Transformer who can change into any car it wants AND can dance?!
  
Finding Mr. Wrong
Finding Mr. Wrong
Charlie Cochet | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finding Mr. Wrong by Charlie Cochet
Finding Mr. Wrong starts off with Matthew having a near-death experience. He is the very successful owner of the family run firm Hart & Home. However, he isn't sure about his cousin, who is coming up with very strange ideas. Following his experience, he speaks to his best friend/PA, Adam, and they decide he is going to find Mr Right. They put down a few things, and then Adam wangles the story out of 'the one that got away'. It is obvious that Matthew has never got over this. Circumstances (and people) conspire, and Matthew and Jax end up meeting again. Jax can't believe his eyes, whilst Matthew is spitting feathers he is so angry. Don't worry, they do work it out... for a while at least.

This story just swept you along, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Charlie Cochet is an amazing author, and I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't like. There are a couple of side stories that help to make this the enjoyable read that it is - one is Jax's dad, and the other is Adam. Now, I won't say too much about Jax's dad (Dale), as I feel you should really read it and make up your own mind. As for me, I would say that Jax is a saint, and I honestly don't know if I could have done that. As for Adam, I really REALLY want to know his story. He comes across as very sweet and caring, but he has a history. I know he does. I just don't know what it is just yet. He knew immediately what Rai did for a living, whereas I didn't have a clue! He knows what it's like to be without money too. I really need to know!

With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this is one contemporary M/M romance that I have no hesitation in recommending. With humour, grit, action, misunderstandings, and a little twist that I never saw coming at the end, this was absolutely wonderful. 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!