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Shameless - Season 3
10.0
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TV Season
Oscar-nominated actor William H. Macy stars as Frank Gallagher, a single father of six who spends...
drama comedy showtime
The Harlequin: Winner of the Novella Award 2015
Book
The armistice is months past but the memories won't go away. 'A harlequin, leaning against a tree...
The Devil Rides Out
9.0
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Book
The Devil Rides Out is the most famous work of a master storyteller, a classic of weird fiction...
ClareR (5589 KP) rated Small Mercies in Books
May 22, 2023
I’ve never read Dennis Lehane before - and what a place to start! This novel is phenomenal, and I ended it thoroughly heartbroken.
1970s Boston, America, and the school districts want to merge the separate schools for black and white children. Except your average white Southie doesn’t want that to happen, and they’ll do anything to ensure that.
There are violent demonstrations, tensions boil over, and amongst all this a young black man is murdered. At the same time, Mary Pat Fennessy’s daughter goes missing. At first, these two events seem unconnected, but as Mary Pat searches for her daughter it starts to look otherwise. And somehow, the Irish mob are involved.
Mary Pat is the ultimate tiger mother. Her daughter Jules, is her only surviving child, and she’ll stop at nothing to find her - dead or alive.
This is brutal, and proves that ultimately revenge profits no one. The heat simmered off the page, as did the threatened and real violence. The writing is gorgeous despite the violence, and is a masterclass in how a writer can make the most ugly things so astonishing.
I’m expecting to see a film adaptation of this at some point - it reads like a screenplay.
This may well be my first novel by Lehane, but I doubt very much that it will be my last. Thanks for introducing me to another new-to-me author, Pigeonhole!
1970s Boston, America, and the school districts want to merge the separate schools for black and white children. Except your average white Southie doesn’t want that to happen, and they’ll do anything to ensure that.
There are violent demonstrations, tensions boil over, and amongst all this a young black man is murdered. At the same time, Mary Pat Fennessy’s daughter goes missing. At first, these two events seem unconnected, but as Mary Pat searches for her daughter it starts to look otherwise. And somehow, the Irish mob are involved.
Mary Pat is the ultimate tiger mother. Her daughter Jules, is her only surviving child, and she’ll stop at nothing to find her - dead or alive.
This is brutal, and proves that ultimately revenge profits no one. The heat simmered off the page, as did the threatened and real violence. The writing is gorgeous despite the violence, and is a masterclass in how a writer can make the most ugly things so astonishing.
I’m expecting to see a film adaptation of this at some point - it reads like a screenplay.
This may well be my first novel by Lehane, but I doubt very much that it will be my last. Thanks for introducing me to another new-to-me author, Pigeonhole!
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Playing for Keeps (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Gerard Butler has stepped out of his 300 uniform and into some soccer
cleats. As a former international soccer star, George (Butler) is down on
his luck. He has no job, and he’s living in Virginia, attempting to
reconnect with his estranged son.
The story opens with some backstory about George’s past before quickly
tumbling into his present situation. George’s ex-wife (Jessica Biel) is
getting remarried, and his son Lewis (Noah Lomax) is having a hard time
learning to trust his real father after being separated for so long.
The plot quickly unfolds into a predictable “chick-flick” scenario, where
the main character is floundering and wants to get back what he once had.
His path to redemption comes in the form of coaching his son’s youth
soccer team, while fending off hordes of attractive soccer *moms* who want
to place hands on the well-sculpted Coach Dryer!
This film is incredibly formulaic, and it’s predictable every step of the
way. That said, Butler, Biel, and the rest of t*he cast* do an exceptional
job given what they had to work with. I even have to give some props to
the young actor, Noah Lomax, for giving a noteworthy performance as the
son.
While there were some great chuckles and all-out laughs mixed with a few
touching moments, it’s hard to look past the poor production values of this
film. Many of the scenes were filmed in a free-hand format. The shaking is
not just noticeable, but rampant throughout the film. It’s very
distracting, and downright shoddy film-making.
The directing wasn’t bad, in general, but I think a more seasoned director
would have at least chosen better angles. Case-in-point: many of the
scenes involving the red Ferrari were obviously lit with bright, white
lights reflecting off the surface of the car, giving us a view of grips and
other personnel behind the camera.
Dennis Quaid starts the film with a great role, and delivers a fantastic
performance. Unfortunately, after the jail scene, he’s oddly absent until
the end of the film. His absence was so awkward that it distracted me from
the people who were on the screen. I even asked myself: where did Dennis
Quaid’s character go?
Uma Thurman, playing Quaid’s character’s wife, and Catherine-Zeta Jones,
playing a soccer mom, did a marvelous job (again, despite not having much
to work with).
The Hollywood stars saved this film from rating lower, due to their vast
acting experience and talent, but I can’t recommend the movie as a whole.
Even their performances weren’t enough to keep Playing For Keeps in the
same ballpark as a well-produced film. It’s shoddy movie-making at best.
I recommend you wait to watch this one at home and save your movie theater
budget for another flick, *but if you are into chick-flicks, Playing for
Keeps will not disappoint.*
cleats. As a former international soccer star, George (Butler) is down on
his luck. He has no job, and he’s living in Virginia, attempting to
reconnect with his estranged son.
The story opens with some backstory about George’s past before quickly
tumbling into his present situation. George’s ex-wife (Jessica Biel) is
getting remarried, and his son Lewis (Noah Lomax) is having a hard time
learning to trust his real father after being separated for so long.
The plot quickly unfolds into a predictable “chick-flick” scenario, where
the main character is floundering and wants to get back what he once had.
His path to redemption comes in the form of coaching his son’s youth
soccer team, while fending off hordes of attractive soccer *moms* who want
to place hands on the well-sculpted Coach Dryer!
This film is incredibly formulaic, and it’s predictable every step of the
way. That said, Butler, Biel, and the rest of t*he cast* do an exceptional
job given what they had to work with. I even have to give some props to
the young actor, Noah Lomax, for giving a noteworthy performance as the
son.
While there were some great chuckles and all-out laughs mixed with a few
touching moments, it’s hard to look past the poor production values of this
film. Many of the scenes were filmed in a free-hand format. The shaking is
not just noticeable, but rampant throughout the film. It’s very
distracting, and downright shoddy film-making.
The directing wasn’t bad, in general, but I think a more seasoned director
would have at least chosen better angles. Case-in-point: many of the
scenes involving the red Ferrari were obviously lit with bright, white
lights reflecting off the surface of the car, giving us a view of grips and
other personnel behind the camera.
Dennis Quaid starts the film with a great role, and delivers a fantastic
performance. Unfortunately, after the jail scene, he’s oddly absent until
the end of the film. His absence was so awkward that it distracted me from
the people who were on the screen. I even asked myself: where did Dennis
Quaid’s character go?
Uma Thurman, playing Quaid’s character’s wife, and Catherine-Zeta Jones,
playing a soccer mom, did a marvelous job (again, despite not having much
to work with).
The Hollywood stars saved this film from rating lower, due to their vast
acting experience and talent, but I can’t recommend the movie as a whole.
Even their performances weren’t enough to keep Playing For Keeps in the
same ballpark as a well-produced film. It’s shoddy movie-making at best.
I recommend you wait to watch this one at home and save your movie theater
budget for another flick, *but if you are into chick-flicks, Playing for
Keeps will not disappoint.*
Anthony Case (3 KP) rated American Horror Story in TV
Sep 9, 2017
Acting (2 more)
Directing (usually)
Fun Storylines
Each season of American Horror Story is a fresh slate. While some actors (Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson in particular) play similar characters each time, they all play the parts well, and the unique storylines are enough to keep things fresh. Sarah Paulson, Dennis O'Hare, Lily Rabe, and Jessica Lange are standouts every time they show up, but the recurring cast members are all fantastic.
Each season is a new story and Ryan Murphy loves to experiment with how he tells them. Season one, "Muder House," is a fairly standard psycho-sexual horror show. It was clearly building a base, so it skews a little into the "edge-lord teenager" demographic, which really is my inky complaint. Season two, "Asylum," is very experimental. They were trying to figure out what exactly they could get away with, and it turns out they could get away with a lot (though the aliens subplot was a bit too much). It's a very bleak season, with existential dread haunting the entirety of the season. Season three, "Coven," goes the complete opposite direction. It gets pretty campy, though the violence never is toned down. Season four, "Freak Show," is more stylized than previous seasons, and focuses far less on the ensemble. Instead, it is an intense character study of a homicidal rich white dude, which, admittedly, isn't for everyone. Season five, "Hotel," eschews storylines, instead focusing on establishing a crisp visual style (to varying success). Season six, "Roanoke," tackles two very popular subgenres, documentaries and found footage. It has an inspired twist halfway through the season.
There are definantely weak seasons, (Hotel was a mess, and I never really loved Coven's tone) but that's to be expected from an anthology show. The genius of seasons like Asylum and Roanoke should keep you coming back.
To close it out, I'll do a quick ranking for each season, from worst to best: Hotel, Coven, Murder House, Freak Show, Roanoke, Asylum. Hopefully Cult lives up to the high reputation the show has earned!
Each season is a new story and Ryan Murphy loves to experiment with how he tells them. Season one, "Muder House," is a fairly standard psycho-sexual horror show. It was clearly building a base, so it skews a little into the "edge-lord teenager" demographic, which really is my inky complaint. Season two, "Asylum," is very experimental. They were trying to figure out what exactly they could get away with, and it turns out they could get away with a lot (though the aliens subplot was a bit too much). It's a very bleak season, with existential dread haunting the entirety of the season. Season three, "Coven," goes the complete opposite direction. It gets pretty campy, though the violence never is toned down. Season four, "Freak Show," is more stylized than previous seasons, and focuses far less on the ensemble. Instead, it is an intense character study of a homicidal rich white dude, which, admittedly, isn't for everyone. Season five, "Hotel," eschews storylines, instead focusing on establishing a crisp visual style (to varying success). Season six, "Roanoke," tackles two very popular subgenres, documentaries and found footage. It has an inspired twist halfway through the season.
There are definantely weak seasons, (Hotel was a mess, and I never really loved Coven's tone) but that's to be expected from an anthology show. The genius of seasons like Asylum and Roanoke should keep you coming back.
To close it out, I'll do a quick ranking for each season, from worst to best: Hotel, Coven, Murder House, Freak Show, Roanoke, Asylum. Hopefully Cult lives up to the high reputation the show has earned!
Viz Annual: The Jester's Shoes 2018
Book
A Toe-Curling Stack of the Best Bits from Issues 242-251 Mankind's constant need to do better - to...
Language reference
Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for Britain, 1974-1979
8.0
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Book
Dominic Sandbrook's magnificent account of the late 1970s in Britain - the book behind the major BB2...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Strange world (2022) in Movies
Jan 7, 2023
Takes Too Long To Find It's Legs
If a film is going to be 1/2 good and 1/2 bad, is it better to have the good part first (which will get you to watch until the end) or last (which will leave you with a good feeling, if you make it that far). With the new Disney Animated Film STRANGE WORLD it is bad first, good second. So, if you stick through the disjointed first part of this film, you’ll be rewarded for your persistence with an interesting and satisfying finale.
A nod to the “Pulp Magazine” Science Fiction works of the 1950’s, STRANGE WORLD follows the adventures of the Clade clan as they try to find out what is beyond the hills of their land with the central conflict of this movie being that the Grandfather - the great explorer Jaeger Clade - wanting to explore. His son, Searcher Clade, wanting to stay put and the Grandson, Ethan Clade, caught between the 2.
It is pretty standard fare that is made all the more confusing by the setup of the premise and the clumsy introduction of the myriad of characters and situations that leads the audience to the exploration adventure that is to come.
Written and Co-Directed by Qui Nguyen (and directed by Don Hall) - both of whom are responsible for the criminally under-rated RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON - Strange World stumbles out of the gate and spends the first 1/2 (maybe even the first 2/3) trying to recover from that stumble.
It finally does get it’s legs under itself and the end is worth the patience one must have to get through the beginning.
The voice cast is steady - but unspectacular. Jake Gyllenhaal (Searcher), Gabrielle Union (Meridian Clade - the Mom and pilot), Jaboukie Young-White (Ethan, the Grandson), Lucy Liu (explorer Callisto Mal) and Dennis Quaid (Jaeger, the Grandfather) all put in “professional” work, but none of them stick out - which is especially disappointing in Quaid’s case, for his character looks like it was written to be the quirky, different, interesting character.
Disney animation has had a mixed bag with “action/adventure” animated films. For every BIG HERO 6, there are TREASURE PLANET attempts that seemed earnest and well-meaning, but just don’t hit the mark.
If you are in the mood for a good Disney/Animated adventure that comes from Hall and Nguyen, skip STRANGE WORLD and, instead, check out RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON.
Letter Grade: C+
5 1/2 stars (out of 10) - and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
A nod to the “Pulp Magazine” Science Fiction works of the 1950’s, STRANGE WORLD follows the adventures of the Clade clan as they try to find out what is beyond the hills of their land with the central conflict of this movie being that the Grandfather - the great explorer Jaeger Clade - wanting to explore. His son, Searcher Clade, wanting to stay put and the Grandson, Ethan Clade, caught between the 2.
It is pretty standard fare that is made all the more confusing by the setup of the premise and the clumsy introduction of the myriad of characters and situations that leads the audience to the exploration adventure that is to come.
Written and Co-Directed by Qui Nguyen (and directed by Don Hall) - both of whom are responsible for the criminally under-rated RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON - Strange World stumbles out of the gate and spends the first 1/2 (maybe even the first 2/3) trying to recover from that stumble.
It finally does get it’s legs under itself and the end is worth the patience one must have to get through the beginning.
The voice cast is steady - but unspectacular. Jake Gyllenhaal (Searcher), Gabrielle Union (Meridian Clade - the Mom and pilot), Jaboukie Young-White (Ethan, the Grandson), Lucy Liu (explorer Callisto Mal) and Dennis Quaid (Jaeger, the Grandfather) all put in “professional” work, but none of them stick out - which is especially disappointing in Quaid’s case, for his character looks like it was written to be the quirky, different, interesting character.
Disney animation has had a mixed bag with “action/adventure” animated films. For every BIG HERO 6, there are TREASURE PLANET attempts that seemed earnest and well-meaning, but just don’t hit the mark.
If you are in the mood for a good Disney/Animated adventure that comes from Hall and Nguyen, skip STRANGE WORLD and, instead, check out RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON.
Letter Grade: C+
5 1/2 stars (out of 10) - and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The Last Ballad
Book
The author of the celebrated bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with this eagerly awaited...
Historical fiction