The King's Speech (2010)
8.2
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The Idea of a film about a stuttering King doesn't sound like gripping viewing, but you would be...
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale #2) in Books
Apr 1, 2020
Although set in the world of the Handmaid's tale we are in the POVs of different characters this time and three of them at that. With accounts from Gilead, a view from a Commander's daughter and also from an Aunts, and a look into the nation's relationship with Canada it's a very different experience from the Handmaids Tale. I found it a more satisfying storytelling experience than its predecessor.
It may not be the direct follow on from the previous novel some hoped for but it worked for me.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Interlude (1968) in Movies
Apr 22, 2020 (Updated Apr 22, 2020)
Good-looking but vacuous, a sort of Hampstead novel of a movie, with the personal issues of affluent Londoners raised to a level of towering significance. The whole thing is in such lethal good taste it sucks any potential life out of the story (on the other hand you can have fun playing guess-the-body-part during the slightly baffling sex scenes). Passes the time but very predictable; very early appearances by John Cleese and Derek Jacobi pique the interest. The music and theme song are considerably better than the rest of the film deserves.
Last Tango in Halifax
7.9
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TV Show
Celia Dawson and Alan Buttershaw are both widowed and in their seventies. They were attracted to...
David McK (3191 KP) rated A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
For those not in the know, Cadfael is a medieval Welsh Benedictine Monk, who has come late to the Order in life, and who proves rather adept at solving various mysteries, as well as looking after his garden. In this one, the mystery to be solved is just who murdered the leader of the opposition to his Orders plans to relocate the bones of a local saint from the sleepy Welsh village in which she is buried to the confines of his own Order of St Peter and St Paul.
If I'm honest, I actually found this quite hard going: it never really gripped me all that much, nor made me want to read on. Perhaps this kind of novel is just not my cup of tea!
Shakespeare on Stage: Thirteen Leading Actors on Thirteen Key Roles
Book
The performers interviewed represent a Who's Who of stage and screen actors (between them they have...
Les Misérables
7.6
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Television adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel which follows Jean Valjean as he evades capture...
BBC PBS Masterpiece Les Mis Miniseries France
My Family Kitchen
1.0
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Book
'For me, cooking has always been about sharing and spending time with pals and family, luring them...
Horrible Histories: The Movie (2019)
5.4
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Roman teenager Atti is forced to join the Roman Army when one of his clever schemes falls foul of...
Awix (3310 KP) rated I, Claudius in TV
Aug 27, 2019 (Updated Aug 27, 2019)
A very unusual story by any standards: the main character isn't even born until well into the first episode, and the main villain dies of old age halfway through. Best to ignore the odd structure and enjoy the vicious black comedy the tale is dripping with, with an extraordinary cast making the most of a set of witty, sophisticated scripts. Hard to choose who shines the most: Brian Blessed is restrained as Augustus, Sian Phillips chilling as the psychopathic Livia, John Hurt hilarious and terrifying at the same time as the lunatic Caligula. Derek Jacobi carries the whole thing with warmth, wit and pathos. One of the masterpieces of TV drama.