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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) in Movies
Jan 17, 2022
1/2 of a GREAT Movie
It is a fun surprise to be perusing all the streaming services available and tripping across a very entertaining film that, heretofore, was unknown.
Such was the case with THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN - a biography (of sorts) of the eponymous English painter, known for his fanciful portraits of cats.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (in the title role) and Written and Directed by Will Sharpe (BLACK POND) based on a story by Simon Stephenson (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sharpe), THE ELECTICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN is 1/2 of a very good (maybe even GREAT) film that falls apart in the 2nd half.
The first half of this film finds the eccentric Wain finding love and discovering his artistic talent. It is this 1/2 of the film that draws you in - and must have been what drew the talents of Sharpe, Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth in the first few seasons of THE CROWN) and Cumberbatch to this film. Cumberbatch, of course, is superb as Wain (especially in this first half) and his chemistry with Foy (who plays his love interest/wife) is tremendous and IS the reason to see this film.
However, the film shifts focus, by necessity, in the 2nd half to the rising stardom of Wain and his descent into madness. Toby Jones (as his benefactor) and the always under-rated Andrea Riseborough (OBLIVION) take center stage with Cumberbatch in this part of the film and the love, fun, whimsey and depth of the first 1/2 of the film disappears. Riseborough, particularly, suffers from a poorly written role where her character - Wain’s disapproving sister - is (in essence) the “bad guy”, so Sharpe and Stephenson replace love, warmth and support with disapproval, anger and madness. While this is true to the life that Wain lived, it didn’t make for a particularly interesting 2nd half of a film.
Come for Benedict’s and Foy’s chemistry and performances, stay for the rest because…well…it’s still pretty good.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Such was the case with THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN - a biography (of sorts) of the eponymous English painter, known for his fanciful portraits of cats.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (in the title role) and Written and Directed by Will Sharpe (BLACK POND) based on a story by Simon Stephenson (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sharpe), THE ELECTICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN is 1/2 of a very good (maybe even GREAT) film that falls apart in the 2nd half.
The first half of this film finds the eccentric Wain finding love and discovering his artistic talent. It is this 1/2 of the film that draws you in - and must have been what drew the talents of Sharpe, Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth in the first few seasons of THE CROWN) and Cumberbatch to this film. Cumberbatch, of course, is superb as Wain (especially in this first half) and his chemistry with Foy (who plays his love interest/wife) is tremendous and IS the reason to see this film.
However, the film shifts focus, by necessity, in the 2nd half to the rising stardom of Wain and his descent into madness. Toby Jones (as his benefactor) and the always under-rated Andrea Riseborough (OBLIVION) take center stage with Cumberbatch in this part of the film and the love, fun, whimsey and depth of the first 1/2 of the film disappears. Riseborough, particularly, suffers from a poorly written role where her character - Wain’s disapproving sister - is (in essence) the “bad guy”, so Sharpe and Stephenson replace love, warmth and support with disapproval, anger and madness. While this is true to the life that Wain lived, it didn’t make for a particularly interesting 2nd half of a film.
Come for Benedict’s and Foy’s chemistry and performances, stay for the rest because…well…it’s still pretty good.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Dean (6924 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Jun 10, 2017
Benedict Cumberbatch (1 more)
Amazing range of Sfx
A mindbending strange film
Another super hero Marvel film that will dazzle your eyes, if not your mind. All the magic, space, time and other dimensions makes it feel less connected to the rest of the Marvel universe. It's totally over the top, but the range of Sfx shots it leads to are amazing. A bit like inception on steroids. Interesting visually but the story will probably wash over you.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Aug 20, 2017
A good origin story
This is another Marvel comic origin story, so yes it's fairly predictable. However for me it's one of the better Marvel films I've seen in recent years. Due to its mind and universe bending nature, it has a completely different feel to the other super hero films. Benedict Cumberbatch is a great addition to the Marvel line-up, however his accent does get pretty dodgy at times. It's intriguing, funny and the special effects are fantastic.
David McK (3232 KP) rated Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2023
Second entry (of, currently, three) in the so-called Star Trek Kelvin timeline, with the crew (including Zachary Quinto's Spock and Chris Pine's Kirk) on a mission to capture a renegade Star Fleet officer (played by a pre MCU Benedict Cumberbatch) who - despite all the pre-release denials - everybody *knew* would have links to the past of the original cast.
Especially with the poster.
Worth a watch - all the Kelvin timeline movies are - but, IMO, not as good as Star Trek.
Especially with the poster.
Worth a watch - all the Kelvin timeline movies are - but, IMO, not as good as Star Trek.
Kevin Phillipson (9961 KP) rated Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) in Movies
Dec 16, 2021
Tom Holland (3 more)
Zendya
Bendict cumberbatch
Jacob batalon
Just watched omg in my opinion the best spider - man movie so far there won't be any spoilers here the film has it all villains many of them and there are many scenes that made me go yes for me as long time spider fan I almost cried at certain points in the movie and it was brilliant seeing jk Simmonds back as j jonah jameson spider - man movie wouldn't be the same without him. Overall just wow
Fantastically clever
This is a very clever and very well written series. It has a fantastic cast, it's made Benedict Cumberbatch the star he is today and the supprting cast are great too. Mark Gatiss is fab as Mycroft, I just wish he was in it more. Same with Moriarty.
The episodes and plots themselves are well thought out and intriguing, and very difficult to work out the endings in advance. My only criticism would be that the last season 4 wasnt as strong as the earlier 3 - it was almost a little too bonkers.
The episodes and plots themselves are well thought out and intriguing, and very difficult to work out the endings in advance. My only criticism would be that the last season 4 wasnt as strong as the earlier 3 - it was almost a little too bonkers.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Sherlock - Season 1 in TV
Aug 9, 2017
First series is the best series by far
Without a doubt, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman transformed the face of Sherlock, completely updating it for modern viewing. Sherlock is played to be on some kind of spectrum, which allows him to work out calculations at lightning speed. He's arrogant but hilarious and Watson is an absolute spellbinder of a sidekick. The bromance is beautiful. But the first series by far is the most coherent without going into odd tangents and storylines. Really worth the watch.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Crimson Peak (2015) in Movies
Jun 14, 2018
I feel kind of bad for Crimson Peak, for one, it was marketed completely wrong. Universal marketed it as though it was a horror movie, when it couldn't really be farther from it. The inspiration for it was Rebecca and the Mysteries of Udolpho, it was a gothic romance. I liked Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska in it, but Jessica Chastain... I have nothing nice to say about her performance.
The twist was.... creepy. I can't help but wonder what the film would have been like if Benedict Cumberbatch hadn't dropped out.
The twist was.... creepy. I can't help but wonder what the film would have been like if Benedict Cumberbatch hadn't dropped out.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Power of the Dog (2021) in Movies
Dec 7, 2021
Deep and Layered
If the movie you are watching has a long shot of wheat blowing in the wind, then you are watching a character drama. If that same film also includes a 5 minute scene of someone braiding rope, then you have THE POWER OF THE DOG.
Written and Directed by Jane Campion (THE PIANO) and based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Savage, THE POWER OF THE DOG tells the tale of 2 brothers, talkative and charismatic Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and quiet and contemplative George (Jesse Plemons) who are tending their cattle ranch in Montana in the mid-1920’s. As horses give way to horseless carriages, George falls for a widow (Kirsten Dunst) who has an effeminate son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and this relationship makes Phil face his own feelings - and a changing world.
In the hands of Campion, this film is a quiet, introspective look at how a hard-drinking, hard-living Cowboy deals with a changing world - and his own pent up emotions - and it works well. She weaves a fascinating story that takes its time unfurling it’s pages and the time that the audience takes in steeping themselves in the story and the characters is time well spent, indeed.
This is because the great Benedict Cumberbatch (TV’s SHERLOCK) is on-screen for 95% of the film as Phil and he commands the screen every moment that his presence is known. It is a bravura - though eerily quiet and introspective - performance by Cumberbatch. Campion and Cumberbatch create a memorable character that fills the screen not because he is wide or high or showy, but because he is deep and layered and the film spends most of its 2 hour and 6 minute running time peeling back the layers and digging deep into this character. It is an Oscar-worthy performance and is a shoo-in Oscar nominee and would not be surprising if Cumberbatch finally wins his Oscar for this role.
Plemons and Dunst (who played a couple in the first season of the TV series FARGO) are the catalyst that set the film - and the discoveries - in motion, but, though they are good, they have very little to do besides react to Cumberbatch’s characters’ moves.
Surprisingly, the character that does stand-out and the actor who does go toe-to-toe with Cumberbatch’s Phil is Peter, the son of Rose and played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (NIghtcrawler in X-MEN:APOCALYPSE) who is (at first) befriended by Phil as a joke and becomes closer and closer to him as the film progresses. It is through Peter that we dig through the layers of Phil - and it is a fascinating journey.
This is a gorgeous film to look at - Cinematographer Ari Wegner (THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE) is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination as well - and this is good, because Phil (and the audience) spend long stretches looking out in the wilderness, contemplating the world - and change.
Not the fastest moving film you will ever encounter, but if you are in the mood for this sort of thing and can get caught up with discovering the layers of Phil, then you will be rewarded with a layered and deep experience.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Written and Directed by Jane Campion (THE PIANO) and based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Savage, THE POWER OF THE DOG tells the tale of 2 brothers, talkative and charismatic Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and quiet and contemplative George (Jesse Plemons) who are tending their cattle ranch in Montana in the mid-1920’s. As horses give way to horseless carriages, George falls for a widow (Kirsten Dunst) who has an effeminate son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and this relationship makes Phil face his own feelings - and a changing world.
In the hands of Campion, this film is a quiet, introspective look at how a hard-drinking, hard-living Cowboy deals with a changing world - and his own pent up emotions - and it works well. She weaves a fascinating story that takes its time unfurling it’s pages and the time that the audience takes in steeping themselves in the story and the characters is time well spent, indeed.
This is because the great Benedict Cumberbatch (TV’s SHERLOCK) is on-screen for 95% of the film as Phil and he commands the screen every moment that his presence is known. It is a bravura - though eerily quiet and introspective - performance by Cumberbatch. Campion and Cumberbatch create a memorable character that fills the screen not because he is wide or high or showy, but because he is deep and layered and the film spends most of its 2 hour and 6 minute running time peeling back the layers and digging deep into this character. It is an Oscar-worthy performance and is a shoo-in Oscar nominee and would not be surprising if Cumberbatch finally wins his Oscar for this role.
Plemons and Dunst (who played a couple in the first season of the TV series FARGO) are the catalyst that set the film - and the discoveries - in motion, but, though they are good, they have very little to do besides react to Cumberbatch’s characters’ moves.
Surprisingly, the character that does stand-out and the actor who does go toe-to-toe with Cumberbatch’s Phil is Peter, the son of Rose and played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (NIghtcrawler in X-MEN:APOCALYPSE) who is (at first) befriended by Phil as a joke and becomes closer and closer to him as the film progresses. It is through Peter that we dig through the layers of Phil - and it is a fascinating journey.
This is a gorgeous film to look at - Cinematographer Ari Wegner (THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE) is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination as well - and this is good, because Phil (and the audience) spend long stretches looking out in the wilderness, contemplating the world - and change.
Not the fastest moving film you will ever encounter, but if you are in the mood for this sort of thing and can get caught up with discovering the layers of Phil, then you will be rewarded with a layered and deep experience.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) in Movies
Apr 7, 2018
I honestly don't know whether or not I actually liked this movie. The score was god awful, and the 'tension' music came at weird, non-tense times. The sex was plum bizarre and the characters did a whole lot of nothing. The beginning sequence when it's around 2 minutes of a beating heart creeped me out, and made me feel slightly ill to my stomach. Barry Keoghan (AKA the guy from 71 and Dunkirk) did well, though his American accent sounded like a mix between Ryan Gosling and Benedict Cumberbatch doing American accents. Though, as whack as it was, it kind of fit with the awkwardness of the character.
