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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated 13 Assassins (2011) in Movies

Oct 28, 2021  
13 Assassins (2011)
13 Assassins (2011)
2011 | Action, History, International
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Competent I suppose - I mean I still liked it and all - but I don't go to Miike to see something just competent, you feel? Gets points exclusively for the insane amount of people that get hacked, blown up, trampled, shot with arrows, and bludgeoned to death in the final act - and a particularly powerful last 20 minutes that wrap things up nicely (the way it touches on how the wealthy fetishize lowly rabble without actually wanting any of the consequences of it floored me ["So death comes for us all."]). It's a surprise to no one that this guy can emulate practically any genre with ease, but did this have to be so traditional? Am I being too much of a pushover to ask for more of that sweet, sweet gore that we only get bits and pieces (no pun intended) of? The final battle (which you guys all oversold) is notable in scope but is almost classical to a fault and lacks the snappiness of better martial arts films like Jet Li's 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, for example - some of it you can't even see that well either. In fact I think this actually succeeds more in its more disturbing moments rather than its action, with that religiously entertaining villain often swooping in to save the day -I mean the guy's a riot, plain and simple (props to Goro Inagaki for playing him *perfectly*). A lot of the other stuff just feels emulative to me, never bad that's for sure - Miike seldom misses a beat - but I wish there was more of him visible here (he would have crushed some motherfuckers in those wooden spike wall traps). Though on that note, I don't mind at all that this dropped his affinity for drawing out scenes way too long.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Madam in Books

May 27, 2021  
Madam
Madam
Phoebe Wynne | 2021 | Gender Studies, LGBTQ+
5
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A gothic boarding school tale that falls flat
Rose Christie is nervous but excited when she's hired on as the new Head of Classics at Caldonbrae Hall, a boarding school for girls in Scotland. A renowned establishment for 150 years, Caldonbrae is a far step above Rose's current teaching gig and will offer a chance to help her mother, who is struggling with MS. Rose is the first external hire in over a decade, making her an immediate outsider, along with her youthful age. She quickly feels over her head at Caldonbrae, where the teachers and students alike seem to lord over her. But soon Rose realizes that everyone seems to be on to a secret, except her. Why did the last Classics teacher, Jane, leave so suddenly? As Rose learns more about Caldonbrae, she quickly realizes it is nothing like she expected.

"One way or another someone was going to get eaten alive here, Rose realized. She'd be damned if it was her."

I'm a sucker for boarding school stories, but this one did not live up to the promised hype for me. It grew on me a small bit by the end, but when I say this is a slow burning tale, I mean SLOW. I was incredibly tempted to "DNF" this book, but stuck with it, skimming or fast reading portions of it. The big twist, so to speak, doesn't come until halfway through (55% in fact). At that point, we have sat through lots of classics lessons and pontificating about Caldonbrae and gotten to know a lot of girls at the school.

Although, "getting to know" is probably generous, as there's a lack of character development throughout most of MADAM. There are a variety of girls at Caldonbrae thrust upon us, but I found it nearly impossible to keep many of them straight. (It doesn't help that the UK version of schooling is hard to follow, with thirds, fourths, and more tossed about, but rarely ages. Woe to us idiotic Americans!)

We know little about Rose, are offered a scarce backstory, and pieces about her father that are supposed to form her personality seem tossed in haphazardly. Instead she drove me crazy with her dithering and inability to make decisions. Most of the time I just wanted to shake her. She was in an impossible situation, perhaps, but she seemed unable to grasp anything for much of the book, or realize the seriousness of her circumstances.

I think MADAM was going for ominous and creepy--everything building up to its explosive ending (which is hinted at in the beginning pages), but it falls short. Instead, it seems more annoying and perplexing. When the twist is revealed, it's an interesting one, yes, but I couldn't help but question it, wonder how such a thing could be sustainable. MADAM just couldn't keep up the eerie tone it was trying for.

There's definite storytelling potential here, and I did find myself somewhat attached to a few of the girls by the end, when things pick up slightly. MADAM tries to align the classics (think tales of Medea and Antigone and such) with its boarding school girls, but often the tacked on tales of these mythical and classical women feel like unnecessary, added on pieces. It reaches too high, trying for a feminist angle, but falls short, with a fast ending that cannot possibly live up to all those classical, high-reaching aims.

"...she wondered how an establishment that promised to educate 'girls of the world' could somehow make its women feel so small."

Overall, there's a lot going on in MADAM, but it just didn't gel for me. I couldn't root for Rose for most of the novel, and the classic pieces inserted into the plot didn't work. There were sparks I enjoyed, but overall, this wasn't a favorite. 2.5 stars.
  
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Kelly (279 KP) rated The Humanity Bureau (2017) in Movies

Dec 6, 2018  
The Humanity Bureau (2017)
The Humanity Bureau (2017)
2017 | Sci-Fi
6
6.0 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Classical dystopian film (0 more)
Slow pace in parts (1 more)
Predictable
Worth a watch
Contains spoilers, click to show
Nicolas Cage stars in this dystopian film, set in a society where individuals who are believed not to contribute enough to society are sent to ‘New Eden’. Nicolas Cage plays the role of Noah, a government agent, who is sent to assess cases of people who are about to be evicted and transported to New Eden, a place where we are repeatedly told people are never heard from again.

Noah is sent to assess the case of Rachel and Lucas, a mother and son, who are struggling to make ends meat. Noah is quick to give the family an extension, defying orders. This action sparks a response from Noah’s bosses, and forces Noah to support Rachel and Lucas in their escape. The bulk of the movie is focused on the escape of the three across a land that we are told is radioactive and waste land. Elements of this part of the story are very slow paced for my liking, I prefer a bit more action than the behind the wheel reminiscing of Noah.

The plot line does keep its secrets until the end, although these are a little predictable, for example New Eden is a place we’re people do not make it out alive. The most difficult to believe twist though, was that of Lucas being Noah’s son, and Rachel not being the biological mother. I felt that the connection between the characters could have been thought out on a more emotional level, this seemed to be an afterthought forced into the plot in order to ensure that it made more sense.

Perhaps I have watched too many dystopian movies, but I struggled to find any ideas that were really unique to this film, which recycled ideas from stories such as Logan’s run and hunger games.

Overall the acting was good and it was not an overly bad movie, but there were issues with the pace and plot line.