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Dixieland (2015)
Dixieland (2015)
2015 | Mystery
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: One Last Score starts as young man Kermit (Zylka) is release from prison and returning to the preverbal wrong side of the tracks where the families struggle to make ends meet. He returns home to his mother Arletta (Hill) who wants him to stay out of trouble, his neighbour Rachel (Keough) who is working to help care for her sick mother, with her latest job being as a stripper.

Kermit and Rachel strike up a friendship for the bonding of their own struggles, supporting each other through this tough time. This brings Kermit back to the life of crime, the one he promised to star away from in an attempt to escape the dead-end town with Rachel.

 

Thoughts on One Last Score

 

Characters – Kermit is the former criminal that returns to his trailer park home to try and rebuild his life, he wants to be a barber, but is drawn back into his life of crime as he falls in love with Rachel and the two want to escape their dead-end town. Rachel is trying to help her mother paying for medical bills which leads her to a life of stripping, the two bond and plan to escape this life and start over.

Performances – Chris Zylka is good in the leading role, he works well with Riley as we see just how desperate his makes his character feel in what seems like a hopeless situation. Riley Keough shows her talent in this role as the woman that is left with her back against the wall.

Story – The story here shows the tough lives people can be living in America with little money, we see how two people that have turned to a life they didn’t want try to make ends meet in an attempt to escape this style of living. This shows us how another side of America lives which isn’t the side that gets shown enough, the side that are forced into lives they can’t handle, that are dangerous and at times illegal. The pace of the story is slow, but that does help the final pay off in the story which makes you think at times.

Crime – The crime world that Kermit is going into is only scratched on the surface, while we know he doesn’t want to be deeper in, this shows us how on the lines he wants to be to survive.

Settings – The film shows us with the settings the poorer parts of America, the ones living in the trailer parks trying just to get by each day, this helps us understand the characters struggles.


Scene of the Movie – The Lake.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The strange interviews through the movie, while I understand it reflects real life people, we lose something about the characters we are following.

Final Thoughts – This is a slow burning story that shows the tough times in America, it shows the desperation for two people to escape in a job they would never want to do, but must do.

 

Overall: Bleak view on America
  
WW
Wicked Witches (2019)
2019 |
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: One Last Score starts as young man Kermit (Zylka) is release from prison and returning to the preverbal wrong side of the tracks where the families struggle to make ends meet. He returns home to his mother Arletta (Hill) who wants him to stay out of trouble, his neighbour Rachel (Keough) who is working to help care for her sick mother, with her latest job being as a stripper.

Kermit and Rachel strike up a friendship for the bonding of their own struggles, supporting each other through this tough time. This brings Kermit back to the life of crime, the one he promised to star away from in an attempt to escape the dead-end town with Rachel.

 

Thoughts on One Last Score

 

Characters – Kermit is the former criminal that returns to his trailer park home to try and rebuild his life, he wants to be a barber, but is drawn back into his life of crime as he falls in love with Rachel and the two want to escape their dead-end town. Rachel is trying to help her mother paying for medical bills which leads her to a life of stripping, the two bond and plan to escape this life and start over.

Performances – Chris Zylka is good in the leading role, he works well with Riley as we see just how desperate his makes his character feel in what seems like a hopeless situation. Riley Keough shows her talent in this role as the woman that is left with her back against the wall.

Story – The story here shows the tough lives people can be living in America with little money, we see how two people that have turned to a life they didn’t want try to make ends meet in an attempt to escape this style of living. This shows us how another side of America lives which isn’t the side that gets shown enough, the side that are forced into lives they can’t handle, that are dangerous and at times illegal. The pace of the story is slow, but that does help the final pay off in the story which makes you think at times.

Crime – The crime world that Kermit is going into is only scratched on the surface, while we know he doesn’t want to be deeper in, this shows us how on the lines he wants to be to survive.

Settings – The film shows us with the settings the poorer parts of America, the ones living in the trailer parks trying just to get by each day, this helps us understand the characters struggles.


Scene of the Movie – The Lake.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The strange interviews through the movie, while I understand it reflects real life people, we lose something about the characters we are following.

Final Thoughts – This is a slow burning story that shows the tough times in America, it shows the desperation for two people to escape in a job they would never want to do, but must do.

 

Overall: Bleak view on America
  
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
1959 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
The dilemma of an obsessed movie-goer is choosing what films to watch when things clash. It really wasn't a tough choice when an Unlimited Screening was announced for the same evening as Some Like It Hot. The screening was only two days before release, I could wait. It wasn't big enough to miss the chance to see this classic on the big screen.

It's been a long time since I've seen this and I'm always a little cautious about revisiting old favourites as my taste in films gradually changes. But luckily this one hadn't lost any of it's magic. It's a simple idea that's taken to the next level by a talented cast and wonderful script.

One of the reasons I think I love old movies so much is that they had a love of musical elements. I was always a fan of The Andrews Sisters, the Road movies, and of course musicals. A jazzy little number kept you buzzing and always knocked the entertainment value up a notch. This is no exception. Everyone loves some sultry Monroe be-dooping on screen.

There are lots of snippets online about the production and it give you a fantastic background. Monroe was terrible at remembering even that basic lines and they ended up writing lots of them down to hide on set, but some how that still didn't help to reduce the number of takes they needed to do. Curtis' prim and proper Josephine actually came about from him being uncomfortable dressed as a woman. Lemmon gave up being taught how to walk in heels because he wanted to look like a man wearing heels for the part. Despite it being in Monroe's contract that all her films had to be in colour they agreed to film in black and white because the make-up Curtis and Lemmon were wearing made them looking slightly green on camera... that's just some of it. It's well worth having a look around for other tidbits.

It's amazing to think that the flawless looking make-up in black and white looks completely different in colour. Let's face it, they both turn out looking pretty good dressed as women.

As a double act Curtis and Lemmon are wonderful together, both and Joe & Jerry and Josephine and Daphne. The dialogue, timing and the way they interact physically is all brilliant. One of my favourite bits is very early on when they realise the "funeral" is about to get raided. It's cool, calm and coordinated, not a beat is missed and the whole sequence puts a smile on my face.

I went to log this film on Letterboxd and noticed that I'd rated it as a four star film. Accurate, I thought to myself. But as I started to write notes for this review I realised I was sorely under appreciating it. How could I not give this five stars? Everything it does, it nails.

Being really picky, I'm not a big fan of Marilyn Monroe as an actress. I never feel that she stood up on her own, it tends to be the effort of everyone else that makes her shine better. That being said, she still has that massive impact on the screen and a naivety that needs to be there for some of the humour to work. Curtis dropping the dead pan line about water polo wouldn't have worked with any other type of character.

If I were to list the best bits of the film here I might as well just narrate you the whole movie. There are so many fun bits but one of my top ones is the engagement. That childlike glee is just so much fun that you're rooting for it to work too.

What you should do

There's no way that you should go through life without seeing Some Like It Hot. While there are a couple of moments that feel dated the humour is so good it would be a travesty to miss it.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Tough choice... Curtis' agility when climbing the front of the hotel, Lemmon's dance moves, or the ability to make a cocktail in a hot water bottle... decisions decisions!
  
The Golem (2019)
The Golem (2019)
2019 | Horror
Had Potential But Came Up Short
The more movies I watch, the more I want to find those hidden gems. You know, that movie you know no one else has seen that actually turns out to be really good. I was hoping The Golem would be one of those movies. Nope.

The Plot: Set in a Jewish community in the 1600’s, a woman invokes a powerful entity to help save her village from invaders.

Acting: 10
Despite other glaring issues with the film, performances was not one of them. I was impressed with Hani Furstenberg in her lead role as Hanna. Hani breathes pain and frustration into her character and really makes the audience sympathize with the character. She plays a character that’s seemingly dead inside because of the monotonous life she lives. I also enjoyed young Konstantin Anikienko as The Golem. Talk about creepy. I’m sure he spent a lot of time practicing his slow, deliberate movements and calculating gaze. Definitely gave me a shiver a time or two.

Beginning: 5

Characters: 6
Outside of Hanna and The Golem, there are not really any other characters to care about. There were even times where I found it hard to even care for Hanna. Some of the things that happened were out of her control, but some of it was totally her fault and I’m thinking, “Yeah, you kinda did this to yourself.” While her character was solid, it seemed like they dumped the full emotional load on her and I feel like more time could have been taken to develop other characters as well.

Cinematography/Visuals: 7

Conflict: 4

Genre: 5

Memorability: 3

Pace: 4

Plot: 6
Not the worst story but it definitely left me with a few questions. Unfortunately the plot didn’t leave room for much character development which left me unsatisfied. Sometimes linear can be good. Other times, that line is just a little bit too long…

Resolution: 5

Overall: 55
While some of the cinematic work is cool especially as it relates to the action sequences with the Golem, this movie left me entirely too underwhelmed. Guess I’ll have to look elsewhere for my sneaky good movie.
  
Supernatural  - Season 1
Supernatural - Season 1
2005 | Drama
Great Character development (2 more)
Brilliant take on the myths/legends lore
Somewhat educational
Sometimes you'd think Sam and Dean would know better (0 more)
Saving People, Hunting Things, The Family Business...
Supernatural Season One first aired in 2005, and I was only 10 years old when I first watched it with my Dad. I didn't sleep for right for ages and didn't look in a mirror for a long time. However, now when I watch it, this show still has the horror factor but my brain has grown accustomed to the genre so it doesn't necessarily frighten me these days but it is very creepy.

The first thing I loved about this show was that the lore's it followed were real from the legend of Bloody Mary, to the Woman in White and even a Wendigo. I knew about these legends but this show taught me more about what people believed about them and how they came to be, so this show is somewhat educational as well as being a great action horror drama show.

SPOILERS AHEAD!



So in Season One we are introduced to a family who witness the death of their mother/wife as she bursts into a fiery explosion on the ceiling of baby Sam's nursery room. Fast forward years later and Sam's in college/university and has left his past behind him until his brother Dean shows up to tell him their Dad has gone missing after a 'Hunting' trip.

This is where we learn that Sam, Dean and their Father, were actual in the life of Hunters who hunt down demons, ghosts/spirits, and monsters.

This show takes you one a journey with Sam and Dean saving lives from all sorts of strange and horrifying evil beings, who don't always turn out to be an evil being, just tortured or maybe even a being trying to warn them of a greater evil.

The effects are on par with a lot of big budget movies, even better than some of the most recent box office hits and in 2005, that says a lot about how the show can only get better with age. And it has!

Writer Eric Kripke truly did create something spectacular and to say that it's still running to this day, with a whole 12 seasons finished and a 13th season coming soon, it's hard to believe that it can still stay fresh and entertaining with this genre, but when you watch this show I guarantee you'll be entertained as there are dozens of pop culture references in every episode from X- Files to Lord of the Rings and many more, and with soundtracks that include rock and metal bands such as AC/DC it's hard to wrap your head around just how awesome this show is.

Many episodes are either named after movies ("Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things", "The Usual Suspects", "I Know What You Did Last Summer") or classic rock songs ("In My Time of Dying", "Born Under a Bad Sign", "What is and What Should Never Be", "Sympathy For The Devil", "When The Levee Breaks"). - Copied from IMDB

The on screen chemistry between characters is brilliant and more often than not, even in serious situations, it can become hilarious with cheesy one liners or pop culture references used with perfect timing to lighten the mood of the show.

Sam and Dean (portrayed by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) have some of the best character development that I've seen in a show, and sometimes throughout the different series' the formula of arguing, falling out, and coming back to one another, can become somewhat tedious and repetitive making you scream at the TV saying "WHY!? YOU KNOW YOU'RE JUST GOING TO REALIZE YOU NEED EACH OTHER!" but if you think about it, that's how brothers would be in this situation. Having to spend every day with your brother on the road fighting the unthinkable, it would be stressful and tensions would run high, but you'd soon realize that after everything you've been through, who else could you feel comfortable around?

If you're into the paranormal or want to start learning more about different paranormal legends then this is the show for you.

TIP: For further entertainment, watch the bloopers. Some of the most hilarious clips I have ever seen from a show ;)
  
TT
The Tycoon's Make-Believe Fiancée
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh yeah. I forgot that this book follows [b:The Prince's Resistant Lover|19004327|The Prince's Resistant Lover|Elizabeth Lennox|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387898260s/19004327.jpg|27026471].

Hello again, Tamar.

I'd ask if you'd kidnapped any other naked women, but this book takes place directly after your story, so you wouldn't have had any time.

Wyndi finally gets to meet up with her long-lost brother, Royston, who had been told by the foster care system that Wyndi was dead, because he wouldn't stop running away to try to find her to take care of her. He doesn't believe her at first, until she tells him things that only she would know.

Royston is overjoyed to have her back, but Wyndi is worried that he isn't happy, because in the few pictures of him that Tamar managed to find, he was never smiling. To convince her that he's fine, he makes up a story about being engaged, and is stuck having to find someone to pretend to be his fiancee until Wyndi leaves.

I'm still not sure how he was expecting that plan to work. Wyndi would expect there to be a wedding at some point, because they're going to stay in touch. I mean, it all works out in the end, but still. I thought you were supposed to be this master planner, Royston!

After Royston decides to implement his ridiculous plan, we cut to Miranda, who works for Royston's company. She is offered up as a sacrifice to turn in some reports late, which Royston is notorious for despising. Her boss needs a scapegoat, because the reports were all of FIVE MINUTES LATE.

Anyway, rather than killing Miranda on sight, Royston asks her to lunch, and pitches his plan to her, because he likes the way she looks. Miranda refuses on principal, laughing at his offers to pay her to lie to his sister. Royston is even more impressed by the fact that Miranda won't let him tell her what to do, or take money from him.

He manages to sway her by playing on her emotions, telling her how he lost Wyndi through the foster care system, and she agrees to pretend to be his fiancee for a weekend, but only on the condition that if she thinks Wyndi will be hurt, she can shut the operation down.

He even respects her wishes to not act like they're in a relationship around the office, in case someone thinks that she's trying to sleep her way to a promotion.

Of course, pretend love gives way to real love, and the two end up actually engaged, after a passion-filled weekend and several whacky misunderstandings.

I liked this story better than The Prince's Resistant Lover. Mostly because Royston actually bothered to get consent from Miranda at every stage of their relationship. And while he was a demanding man, he wasn't overbearing or creepy, the way Tamar came across as.
  
1917 (2020)
1917 (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
Full Ride of Intensity
Set during WWI, two British soldiers are tasked with getting an important message across enemy territory. 1917 is a wall-to-wall thrill ride done in a one-shot fashion that is amazingly unforgettable.

Acting: 10
George Mackay is brilliant as Lance Corporal Schofield. He takes you through the entirety of this journey as a man reluctant to accept the fate that’s befallen him. His showcase of fear in the face of danger is really what drives the intensity of this movie.

Beginning: 9
Not the best first ten minutes of action, but a decent setup nonetheless. I was immediately drawn into this wartorn world and was curious to see what would happen next. Not perfect, but it’s definitely full speed ahead from here.

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 10

Memorability: 10

Pace: 10
There is such a quiet intensity here that drives the pace of the story. Even when shots aren’t being fired, I couldn’t help but be on the edge of my seat. With danger around every single turn, the pace is phenomenal.

Plot: 10
The story is straightforward with a clear objective. Where the plot wins is with a few unexpected turns that throw you off course. Not to mention to be able to do all of this in a set of one shots is remarkable.

Resolution: 10

Overall: 99
1917 touts beautiful imagery seeped in a mountain of dread. There is a scene where the protagonists are wading through heaps of dead bodies that really sets the stage for how harrowing the film is throughout. As war movies go, this one is definitely the most unique.