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The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
6.8
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Hammer Films adaptation of the BBC TV serial. Returning to Earth after a pioneering space flight,...
Hammer horror
The Resident (2012)
5.2
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Psychological thriller from the resurrected Hammer Films. A New York doctor (Swank) rents an...
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil #4 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
So, if you've read my reviews of Vols 1-2 of Jeff Lemire's BLACK HAMMER, then it goes without saying that SHERLOCK FRANKENSTEIN.. would be a win, right? Not so. Let me elaborate..
The writing was top notch, nothing less than the almost always exemplary writing that we've come to expect from Jeff Lemire. The art, however, not good. I was not previously familiar with David Rubin's art, but after this, I have no interest in seeking works by him.
The art was silly, almost cartoon. Not like Dean Ormston's. It took away from the story as a whole, making it feel like a pantomime or something. Again, not a good artist choice for any future BLACK HAMMER-related projects! If not the disappointing art, I would definitely have given this five stars!
The writing was top notch, nothing less than the almost always exemplary writing that we've come to expect from Jeff Lemire. The art, however, not good. I was not previously familiar with David Rubin's art, but after this, I have no interest in seeking works by him.
The art was silly, almost cartoon. Not like Dean Ormston's. It took away from the story as a whole, making it feel like a pantomime or something. Again, not a good artist choice for any future BLACK HAMMER-related projects! If not the disappointing art, I would definitely have given this five stars!
Erika (17788 KP) rated On the Basis of Sex (2018) in Movies
Jan 14, 2019 (Updated Jan 14, 2019)
I am not a member of the RBG cult, and I honestly have no idea as to why it even exists. But, I was kind of bored yesterday and needed to get out of the house, so I decided to go see this.
I was equally bored. It started out with RBG at Harvard in law school, and, guess what? The Dean of the school and a lot of dudes were misogynist , color me shocked (heavy sarcasm). This film covers about 20 years, and dragged like it covered that amount of time. I think Felicity Jones did a good job with what she was given and her period clothing was one of my favorite things. How the court cases went weren't really a secret, so I wasn't sure why people were gasping during it. It was bizarre.
Honestly, the best part of the film was how smoking hot Armie Hammer looked.
In short, an over-hyped film, about an over-hyped figure.
I was equally bored. It started out with RBG at Harvard in law school, and, guess what? The Dean of the school and a lot of dudes were misogynist , color me shocked (heavy sarcasm). This film covers about 20 years, and dragged like it covered that amount of time. I think Felicity Jones did a good job with what she was given and her period clothing was one of my favorite things. How the court cases went weren't really a secret, so I wasn't sure why people were gasping during it. It was bizarre.
Honestly, the best part of the film was how smoking hot Armie Hammer looked.
In short, an over-hyped film, about an over-hyped figure.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Resident (2012) in Movies
Apr 26, 2019
Icky, undistinguished psycho-thriller finds Hammer in House of Mystery and Suspense mode. Except there's not much of either, given that no-one ever moves into a lovely new apartment and finds it's just as good as it seemed on the viewing. The usual fem jeop ensues as Hilary Swank's doctor has to fend off not just her landlord (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) but his elderly dad (his eminence Christopher Lee, in a regrettably small part).
Really has very little to differentiate or commend it beyond Lee's creepy cameo and some fun and games with the chronology at one point; you find yourself wondering just why you're watching a film with such an unpleasant vibe to it - it's kind of playing the game where it seems to be perfectly okay to dwell at great length on the most repellent behaviour, as long as there's a bit of carthartic vengeance in the end. I am seldom convinced by this, especially not when the rest of the film put together in such an average manner.
Really has very little to differentiate or commend it beyond Lee's creepy cameo and some fun and games with the chronology at one point; you find yourself wondering just why you're watching a film with such an unpleasant vibe to it - it's kind of playing the game where it seems to be perfectly okay to dwell at great length on the most repellent behaviour, as long as there's a bit of carthartic vengeance in the end. I am seldom convinced by this, especially not when the rest of the film put together in such an average manner.
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Crisis (2021) in Movies
Feb 19, 2021
Worth it just for Oldman
Crisis is a 2021 film from write, director and producer Nicholas Jarecki, who previously brought us 2012's Arbitrage starring Richard Gere. Crisis is a story about drugs, namely opioids, and follows three separate yet related narratives about opioids and their impact on US society. There's an undercover DEA agent posing as a drug trafficker arranging a Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the US (Armie Hammer), a recovering addict architect determined to track down those responsible for her son's involvement in narcotics (Evangeline Lilly), and a university professor (Gary Oldman) who's research laboratory uncovers dangerous revelations about a new drug that they've been paid to research by a very influential drug company and their executives (Luke Evans).
The main purpose of Crisis appears to be highlighting two entirely juxtaposed real life issues with opioids - the illegal smuggling and import of street drugs and the completely legal yet questionable drugs introduced by drug companies with full support of the government. For most, neither of these stories should be particularly surprising as they're fairly common knowledge and have been featured in countless films and documentaries over the years, although I think this may be the first time the two stories have been shown together in a film. And for Crisis this really works - showing the two contrasting issues makes for a more interesting and unique story rather than concentrating solely on one that we've seen many times before, especially as its split into three separate narratives.
However, the problem with Crisis is that not all of the narratives are as engaging as intended. Evangeline Lilly puts in a wonderful and emotional performance as architect and mother Claire, but her narrative becomes a little unrealistic as she becomes bent on revenge at those responsible for involving her son in the drugs underworld. And unfortunately Armie Hammer's narrative as undercover federal agent Jake is nothing original, with a smuggling operation and drugs bust that we've seen in many other films, some of which I'm afraid have done it a lot better. The most interesting narrative though is that of Gary Oldman as Dr Tyrone Brower, whose struggle over whether to tell the truth about a new dangerous drug or take the money from his drug company employers is a surprisingly thrilling morality tale. It's helped by a superb turn from Oldman himself and a wonderful supporting role from Greg Kinnear (who I've adored since 1997's As Good As It Gets), and the verbal sparring scenes between Brower and Kinnear's university Dean are probably the best in the film. It's a shame however that Luke Evans isn't given as much to do with his part in this narrative, even with his questionable American accent.
The biggest problem I had with all of the narratives is that unlike similar films that intertwine related narratives that eventually intersect dramatically (think 2006's Best Picture Oscar winner Crash), the narratives here don't all come together in the way I was expecting, which was rather disappointing.
Cinematography-wise, director and writer Jarecki does a good job as the film looks and feels good, and really highlights the US and Canadian settings. The soundtrack only adds to the overall tense and suspenseful feel of the film, although it does feature the typical pulsing, drum beat style that seems to be standard for a modern thriller. And the script, while possibly a little clichéd especially around the drugs bust and smuggling, is good and with his supporting acting role as Jake's fellow DEA agent Stan, Nicholas Jarecki could be one to watch in future.
Overall, Crisis is a good thriller that tells the story of well-known drug issues in a different way and does well in highlighting real life concerns. For the most part it succeeds in bringing an interesting set of narratives together for a fairly gripping albeit slightly long film, and despite my preconceptions about how its intersecting storylines should play out, it is an enjoyable watch, although for the most part thanks to the talents of Gary Oldman.
The main purpose of Crisis appears to be highlighting two entirely juxtaposed real life issues with opioids - the illegal smuggling and import of street drugs and the completely legal yet questionable drugs introduced by drug companies with full support of the government. For most, neither of these stories should be particularly surprising as they're fairly common knowledge and have been featured in countless films and documentaries over the years, although I think this may be the first time the two stories have been shown together in a film. And for Crisis this really works - showing the two contrasting issues makes for a more interesting and unique story rather than concentrating solely on one that we've seen many times before, especially as its split into three separate narratives.
However, the problem with Crisis is that not all of the narratives are as engaging as intended. Evangeline Lilly puts in a wonderful and emotional performance as architect and mother Claire, but her narrative becomes a little unrealistic as she becomes bent on revenge at those responsible for involving her son in the drugs underworld. And unfortunately Armie Hammer's narrative as undercover federal agent Jake is nothing original, with a smuggling operation and drugs bust that we've seen in many other films, some of which I'm afraid have done it a lot better. The most interesting narrative though is that of Gary Oldman as Dr Tyrone Brower, whose struggle over whether to tell the truth about a new dangerous drug or take the money from his drug company employers is a surprisingly thrilling morality tale. It's helped by a superb turn from Oldman himself and a wonderful supporting role from Greg Kinnear (who I've adored since 1997's As Good As It Gets), and the verbal sparring scenes between Brower and Kinnear's university Dean are probably the best in the film. It's a shame however that Luke Evans isn't given as much to do with his part in this narrative, even with his questionable American accent.
The biggest problem I had with all of the narratives is that unlike similar films that intertwine related narratives that eventually intersect dramatically (think 2006's Best Picture Oscar winner Crash), the narratives here don't all come together in the way I was expecting, which was rather disappointing.
Cinematography-wise, director and writer Jarecki does a good job as the film looks and feels good, and really highlights the US and Canadian settings. The soundtrack only adds to the overall tense and suspenseful feel of the film, although it does feature the typical pulsing, drum beat style that seems to be standard for a modern thriller. And the script, while possibly a little clichéd especially around the drugs bust and smuggling, is good and with his supporting acting role as Jake's fellow DEA agent Stan, Nicholas Jarecki could be one to watch in future.
Overall, Crisis is a good thriller that tells the story of well-known drug issues in a different way and does well in highlighting real life concerns. For the most part it succeeds in bringing an interesting set of narratives together for a fairly gripping albeit slightly long film, and despite my preconceptions about how its intersecting storylines should play out, it is an enjoyable watch, although for the most part thanks to the talents of Gary Oldman.