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Kevin Phillipson (9973 KP) rated What If? in TV
Aug 12, 2021
Just watched the first episode and all ready want to watch more episodes to see the marvel cinematic unverise will divert next. Having agent Carter becoming this universes version of captain America was rather very done especially having hayley atwell reprise Peggy Carter shame they couldn't get Chris Evans to play Steve Rodgers but otherwise good start
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Sunsett Song in Books
May 14, 2017
there are better things than your books or studies or loving or bedding, there’s the countryside your own […] in the days when you’re neither bairn nor woman.’ I
Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, published in 1932 became the ‘cream of the crop’ in a poll organised by The Scottish Book Trust last year. Not only was it voted as Scotland’s favourite novel, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described it as ‘timeless’ in an interview with the BBC, ‘ it said something about the history of the country I grew up in and it resonated with me very strongly as a young Scottish woman.’ I have to say that I am in agreement with the First Minister. Sunset Song is a beautifully written aesthetic novel that follows the life and internal conflict of the protagonist Chris Guthrie. By presenting Chris as a kind of cultural double, Gibbon is showing the reader the problems that result in Chris’s separation from the community and her parents conflicting interests regarding her upbringing. Chris’ father, hoping to enhance his daughter’s natural intelligence, is aware of the negative impact that the community might have on her progression, ‘Stick to your lessons and let’s see you make a name for yourself, you’ve no time for friends.’ John Guthrie, a progressive man, regards Chris’s peers as ‘servant queans.’ Whilst this may read as a cultural attack on the lower classes, John Guthrie, is simply reacting to his own working class conditions as a farmer. His motivation is to raise Chris out of the environment that he himself has struggled in and to give her better opportunities. Chris refers to her intelligent self as ‘English’ and identifies a cultural otherness between herself and those of her community. Chris’ mother Jean, on the other hand, has a view of the world that is from a much older time. Before marriage she was a free spirit, ‘there are better things than your books or studies or loving or bedding, there’s the countryside your own […] in the days when you’re neither bairn nor woman.’ It was Gibbon’s intention to create a heteroglossic view of education between Chris’ parents in order to create a protagonist whose future is a conflict between progression and an older unstructured way of life. It is through Chris’s thoughts, however, that her true self can be found. Her English self forms an escape, a place that is simpler, refined and an improvement on how she perceives Scottish culture as a result of her class, ‘the furrows went criss and cross, you wanted this and you wanted that, books and the fineness of them no more than empty gabble sometimes, and then sharn and the snapping that sickened you and drove you back to books.’ It is clear that Gibbon wanted to show the reader that Scottish culture does evaporate with progression. Culture lives in all of us, in the people, the land and in the struggles that we have faced and will face in the future. Chris Guthrie is the perfect example of hope, for a future which is rich in learning while still embracing her Scottish roots, I guess a future we can all identify with.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Get Out (2017) in Movies
Jul 26, 2017
Amazingly, I managed to head into Get Out having not even seen the trailer. It had been appearing more and more frequently on my news feeds recently, usually accompanied by a lot of positive buzz, and usually featuring an image of lead character Chris, wide eyed and terrified, with a tear running down his cheek (note that I’ve continued this trend with my review!). Described as a racial satire/horror it just didn’t really feature high on my watch list, but I booked a ticket to go see it, wanting to see what all the buzz was about. I’m kind of glad that I went in relatively blind as to what to expect though, as I was absolutely blown away by it.
Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, a young black man dating a white girl called Rose (Allison Williams). He’s preparing to go and meet her parents for the first time but he’s a bit unsure as to what they’re going to think about him, despite Rose assuring him that he’s got nothing to worry about. When they arrive at the huge house out in the country, her parents really are fine with Chris. And they take every opportunity during their conversations to be positive about race and to assure Chris that they’re fine with him too, to the point where Chris (and us) begin to feel a little bit uneasy. This unease isn’t helped by the fact that there are two black servants in the house, neither of whom have very much to say and both acting very strangely. At night, the housekeeper wanders quietly around the house while the groundsman sprints around outside in the dark!
Paranoia and tension continues when a large group of family friends arrives for a party and they all seem very keen to get to know Chris and bond with him. One of the guests even has a black ‘companion’ who is also acting strangely. Despite the assurances from all, things definitely are not OK…
Of the little I read about Get Out beforehand, one of the reviews that stuck with me most described it a little bit like From Dusk Til Dawn in the way that everything suddenly all goes to shit in a hugely enjoyable and unexpected twist. There are definitely no vampires or anything similar in this movie, but I felt that it was a pretty good comparison. The movie spends a long time putting you on the edge of your seat, building up the tension, providing plenty of food for thought on modern day racism and adding the odd bit of welcome comedy relief from Chris’ friend on the end of the phone trying to support him. It’s all hugely enjoyable and even though you can guess pretty early on what’s going on, it’s all still hugely satisfying when the truth finally is revealed and the violence and action take over.
Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, a young black man dating a white girl called Rose (Allison Williams). He’s preparing to go and meet her parents for the first time but he’s a bit unsure as to what they’re going to think about him, despite Rose assuring him that he’s got nothing to worry about. When they arrive at the huge house out in the country, her parents really are fine with Chris. And they take every opportunity during their conversations to be positive about race and to assure Chris that they’re fine with him too, to the point where Chris (and us) begin to feel a little bit uneasy. This unease isn’t helped by the fact that there are two black servants in the house, neither of whom have very much to say and both acting very strangely. At night, the housekeeper wanders quietly around the house while the groundsman sprints around outside in the dark!
Paranoia and tension continues when a large group of family friends arrives for a party and they all seem very keen to get to know Chris and bond with him. One of the guests even has a black ‘companion’ who is also acting strangely. Despite the assurances from all, things definitely are not OK…
Of the little I read about Get Out beforehand, one of the reviews that stuck with me most described it a little bit like From Dusk Til Dawn in the way that everything suddenly all goes to shit in a hugely enjoyable and unexpected twist. There are definitely no vampires or anything similar in this movie, but I felt that it was a pretty good comparison. The movie spends a long time putting you on the edge of your seat, building up the tension, providing plenty of food for thought on modern day racism and adding the odd bit of welcome comedy relief from Chris’ friend on the end of the phone trying to support him. It’s all hugely enjoyable and even though you can guess pretty early on what’s going on, it’s all still hugely satisfying when the truth finally is revealed and the violence and action take over.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Parks and Recreation - Season 1 in TV
Sep 25, 2017
Chris Pratt's dorkiness (2 more)
Amy Poehler is hilarious
Aziz Ansari is a D-bag but plays it well
A brilliant, comedic ensemble
There are plenty of well known faces in Parks and Recreation including Hollywood A-Lister Chris Pratt, who plays a lazy slob, and looks surprisingly different from his current heartthrob self.
But Amy Poehler steals the show in this, playing the deputy director of Parks and Recreation for local government in this small town called Pawnee. She's rather sweet and hugely optimistic in the face of everyone saying no to her as she tries to fill in a giant pit and turn it into a park.
It is a hilarious take on local government and all the pitfalls of being a representative.
But Amy Poehler steals the show in this, playing the deputy director of Parks and Recreation for local government in this small town called Pawnee. She's rather sweet and hugely optimistic in the face of everyone saying no to her as she tries to fill in a giant pit and turn it into a park.
It is a hilarious take on local government and all the pitfalls of being a representative.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Gifted (2017) in Movies
Feb 8, 2019
A great surprise
I hadn't really expected very much from this film, but it was actually a brilliant and heartwarming surprise. It has a great cast and is wonderfully acted - McKenna Grace is exceptional for a child actor and I was even impressed with Chris Evans, it's been so long since I've seen him in something that isn't Marvel related and it's nice to see.
The film itself is a mixture of humour and a sometimes heartwrenching and emotional story about a gifted child. It has a fairly short runtime which is also refreshing, but I actually think it could have been a little longer. It's well shot and scripted and was just an all round delight to watch. And seeing Chris Evans with cats? Kinda hard to resist.
The film itself is a mixture of humour and a sometimes heartwrenching and emotional story about a gifted child. It has a fairly short runtime which is also refreshing, but I actually think it could have been a little longer. It's well shot and scripted and was just an all round delight to watch. And seeing Chris Evans with cats? Kinda hard to resist.
Dean (6925 KP) rated Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) in Movies
May 25, 2021
Different direction for Saw (1 more)
Gore fans will be happy
I want to play a game
This seems to have come out of nowhere, or I'm just well behind with up coming releases. A detective story from the Saw universe.
Chris Rock, a little hard to view as a homicide detective, is working a case of a potential copycat killer of Saw targeting dirty cops. There is plenty of blood and gore in the traps as you expect, although they are less centre stage this time.
It's a decent mix of a cop thriller with the Saw traps twist thrown in. Although the ending was a little abrupt for me. Overall a decent film that will keep Saw fans happy while moving in a different direction.
Chris Rock, a little hard to view as a homicide detective, is working a case of a potential copycat killer of Saw targeting dirty cops. There is plenty of blood and gore in the traps as you expect, although they are less centre stage this time.
It's a decent mix of a cop thriller with the Saw traps twist thrown in. Although the ending was a little abrupt for me. Overall a decent film that will keep Saw fans happy while moving in a different direction.
MusicCritics (472 KP) rated Concrete And Gold by Foo Fighters in Music
Oct 3, 2017
Concrete and Gold is an apt title. The hard rock is still there but finally there’s a bit of a shimmer and glow, something the band absolutely needed lest they continue treading water. It’s a career-capper as unexpected as it is welcome.
Critic- Chris Gerard
Original Score: 8 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.popmatters.com/review/foo-fighters-concrete-and-gold/
Original Score: 8 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.popmatters.com/review/foo-fighters-concrete-and-gold/
GameCritics (290 KP) rated Super Rude Bear Resurrection in Video Games
Oct 26, 2017
It’s a stunner of a game, both visually and mechanically, and if you do indeed love the 2D platformer genre that pushes your reflexes and patience, Super Rude Bear Resurrection is the best out there. The levels are bursting with colour, complexity
Critics- Chris White
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.godisageek.com/reviews/super-rude-bear-resurrection-review/
Original Score: 9 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.godisageek.com/reviews/super-rude-bear-resurrection-review/
Movie Critics (823 KP) rated The Little Hours (2017) in Movies
Jun 16, 2017
Dave Franco is similarly good as the horny manservant who, against his better judgment, is easily seduced, while Reilly is funny as the constantly drunk priest, who’s got his own thing going on with the kindly mother superior
Critic- Chris Bumbray
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/review-the-little-hours-sundance-175-02
Original Score: 7 out of 10
Read Review: http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/review-the-little-hours-sundance-175-02
