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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) created a video about Les Misérables in TV
Apr 23, 2019
David Betteridge (327 KP) rated Brassic in TV
Feb 27, 2020 (Updated May 13, 2020)
acting (3 more)
casting
comedy
Dominic West
Best British comedy in years
This show is very funny but with an under laying serious edge, the topics they tackle are very serious but yet handled in such away you can laugh and sometimes cry along with characters on screen. The acting is phenomenal especially from the lead character. Dominic West popping up in cameos is worth the watch alone!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Forgotten (2004) in Movies
Oct 2, 2020
You Must Forget
The Forgotten- is a good sci-fi, horror, mystery, suspense film. The cast is really good in it. Just the twist wasnt good.
The Plot: In "The Forgotten," Julianne Moore stars as Telly Paretta, a grieving mother struggling to cope with the loss of her 8-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise) reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man (Dominic West) who has had a similar experience, Telly embarks on a search to prove her son's existence, and her sanity.
Its a good movie.
The Plot: In "The Forgotten," Julianne Moore stars as Telly Paretta, a grieving mother struggling to cope with the loss of her 8-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise) reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man (Dominic West) who has had a similar experience, Telly embarks on a search to prove her son's existence, and her sanity.
Its a good movie.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Aug 31, 2018
Alicia Vikander Lights up the Screen
Following up his powerful Norwegian disaster movie THE WAVE with this big budgeted English language debut reboot of the video game to big screen series TOMB RAIDER, director Roar Uthaug delivers a fun, fast-paced new take on the series.
Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander picks up the baton left by our previous Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie and has a blast in what is essentially a female spin on INDIANA JONES and NATIONAL TREASURE.
While the film gets pretty ridiculous as it continues, the eye-catching effects and sharp visual visual style, as well as terrific turns by Dominic West and Walton Goggins as her father and the film's villain respectively keep you invested, even if you'll forget it almost as quickly as you've seen it.
Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander picks up the baton left by our previous Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie and has a blast in what is essentially a female spin on INDIANA JONES and NATIONAL TREASURE.
While the film gets pretty ridiculous as it continues, the eye-catching effects and sharp visual visual style, as well as terrific turns by Dominic West and Walton Goggins as her father and the film's villain respectively keep you invested, even if you'll forget it almost as quickly as you've seen it.
Daft and quintessentially northern
I didn’t really fancy this show, as I’m not particularly a big fan of Michelle Keegan. However the trailer full of silly escapades and northern accents kept tempting me in and in the end, I’m rather glad I watched it.
This comes across as a rather silly farcical comedy with a few crude jokes and in some parts it is, but it’s actually so much more than this and a much more sensitive and heartwarming side. Yes it’s funny, mainly thanks to Joseph Gilgun and his rather inept gang of petty thieves, and his entirely inappropriate GP played wonderfully by Dominic West. Being northern myself, this is part of the reason why I found this series so enjoyable. You can almost imagine things like that happening in certain parts of the world up here. But despite the humour, this has a deeper story which works in well amongst all of the wacky exploits and chaos, and it provides a nice balance.
Unfortunately I’m still not a fan of Michelle Keegan even after watching this, and I’m afraid I found her part in the story and episodes the weakest and most boring of everything. But fortunately this didn’t ruin the rest of the show too much and it was still a rather fun and entertaining series.
This comes across as a rather silly farcical comedy with a few crude jokes and in some parts it is, but it’s actually so much more than this and a much more sensitive and heartwarming side. Yes it’s funny, mainly thanks to Joseph Gilgun and his rather inept gang of petty thieves, and his entirely inappropriate GP played wonderfully by Dominic West. Being northern myself, this is part of the reason why I found this series so enjoyable. You can almost imagine things like that happening in certain parts of the world up here. But despite the humour, this has a deeper story which works in well amongst all of the wacky exploits and chaos, and it provides a nice balance.
Unfortunately I’m still not a fan of Michelle Keegan even after watching this, and I’m afraid I found her part in the story and episodes the weakest and most boring of everything. But fortunately this didn’t ruin the rest of the show too much and it was still a rather fun and entertaining series.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated 300 (2007) in Movies
Oct 3, 2020
There's a few Zack Snyder films that I genuinely like, and 300 is one of them. It's 100% style over substance, it's overly gratuitous in the sheer amount of slow motion, but it's pretty enjoyable.
Some of the shots are expertly crafted recreations of the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and as such, is a damn faithful adaption of a cult classic comic series.
The visual effects are stunning at times, and the sepia tone it's draped in lends a lot to its overall feel (even if it's a subject of criticism from many)
Gerard Butler takes the lead as King Leonidas of Sparta, in what has arguably become his most well known roll in the years following. It's easy to look over his thick Scottish accent (in ancient Greece...) when he's playing the character with such enthusiasm. Most of his lines have become highly quotable, even familiar to those who have never seen the film. 300 would be a much lesser film without his involvement.
Rodrigo Santoro carves a striking figure as primary antagonist Xerxes, his androgynous look and demonic-like voice providing a memorable villain.
The cast is rounded out by the likes of Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, and an early role for Michael Fassbender, a sturdy ensemble cast.
The set pieces are pretty thrilling, and results in a movie that blurs the fantastical, with a real life historic battle. It's an interesting mix that works well.
300 is a film that throws big sloppy buckets of testosterone at its audience, whilst simultaneously flaunting a silly amount of homoerotic undertones and CGI pectoral muscles, and it's great.
Some of the shots are expertly crafted recreations of the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and as such, is a damn faithful adaption of a cult classic comic series.
The visual effects are stunning at times, and the sepia tone it's draped in lends a lot to its overall feel (even if it's a subject of criticism from many)
Gerard Butler takes the lead as King Leonidas of Sparta, in what has arguably become his most well known roll in the years following. It's easy to look over his thick Scottish accent (in ancient Greece...) when he's playing the character with such enthusiasm. Most of his lines have become highly quotable, even familiar to those who have never seen the film. 300 would be a much lesser film without his involvement.
Rodrigo Santoro carves a striking figure as primary antagonist Xerxes, his androgynous look and demonic-like voice providing a memorable villain.
The cast is rounded out by the likes of Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, and an early role for Michael Fassbender, a sturdy ensemble cast.
The set pieces are pretty thrilling, and results in a movie that blurs the fantastical, with a real life historic battle. It's an interesting mix that works well.
300 is a film that throws big sloppy buckets of testosterone at its audience, whilst simultaneously flaunting a silly amount of homoerotic undertones and CGI pectoral muscles, and it's great.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Colette (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
Colette has left me bemused. The performances are amazing, the costumes and sets are beautiful, the story is interesting and well told, and yet at 1 hour 51 minutes in length if felt too long. I wasn't bored at any point, I was just really surprised that I was still sitting there watching.
There was an amazing cast. Up until this point I've never particularly enjoyed Keira Knightley roles, after The Nutcracker And The Four Realms I was very close to giving up hope. As Colette she shone. It's absolutely the best piece of acting I've seen from her. Dominic West playing Willy her fame seeking husband was a great bit of casting too. The pair had such chemistry in everything from love to rage. It was also lovely to see Fiona Shaw pop up as Sido, a small role but by no means forgettable.
It's certainly an interesting story of gender norms in history and the literary world of Paris. But beyond the acting, costumes and sets it's not... Exciting? Moving? It's a very good film but just lacks that little something extra to push it to the top. It's difficult to say much more about the film really, I hardly took any notes during the screening. In fact, the only note I made that wasn't related to things I've already mentioned was this: "Four films this year, 50% lesbians."
What you should do
It's a well made film and certainly enjoyable to watch. If you fancy watching a period drama then it's well worth a trip to the cinema for.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
A beautiful second home in the country would be lovely.
There was an amazing cast. Up until this point I've never particularly enjoyed Keira Knightley roles, after The Nutcracker And The Four Realms I was very close to giving up hope. As Colette she shone. It's absolutely the best piece of acting I've seen from her. Dominic West playing Willy her fame seeking husband was a great bit of casting too. The pair had such chemistry in everything from love to rage. It was also lovely to see Fiona Shaw pop up as Sido, a small role but by no means forgettable.
It's certainly an interesting story of gender norms in history and the literary world of Paris. But beyond the acting, costumes and sets it's not... Exciting? Moving? It's a very good film but just lacks that little something extra to push it to the top. It's difficult to say much more about the film really, I hardly took any notes during the screening. In fact, the only note I made that wasn't related to things I've already mentioned was this: "Four films this year, 50% lesbians."
What you should do
It's a well made film and certainly enjoyable to watch. If you fancy watching a period drama then it's well worth a trip to the cinema for.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
A beautiful second home in the country would be lovely.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Oct 25, 2019 (Updated Nov 5, 2019)
Amazingly average, wholly unessecary
Here we have a reboot of a mildly popular film franchise, based on a video game that is a reboot of a hugely beloved game series.
To sum up Tomb Raider in brief - if you are a fan of the original games, and don't really like the direction the recent games have taken, there is probably nothing here that will interest you.
If you are a fan of the recent game series, then you are probably better off just playing those instead of watching the movie adaption.
The film itself isn't terrible by any means, it's just completely bland and forgettable.
The plot is a run of the mill treasure hunting escapade, which we have seen countless times before, and done much better, with irrelevant side plots that bog down an already boring plot.
The action is so so, with some nice stunt work scattered here and there.
Alicia Vikander seems bored herself - I think as a movie, Tomb Raider is (very slightly) more credible than than the early 2000 efforts, but I do think the character of Lara Croft benefits from Angelina Jolie's charm.
It's like the writers couldn't decide whether to adapt the inexperienced and fighting-to-survive Lara Croft from the reboot series, or the more confident, one-liner Lara Croft from the original series, resulting in a flat adaption of either one.
All of the other characters involved are just as flat, so much so that I genuinely can't remember any of their names, or even who played them, with the exception of Dominic West - that dude is just in everything.
The script doesn't help matters one bit, threatening to put you to sleep at any given moment, and riddled with unintentionally funny Hollywood rubbish.
In summary, Tomb Raider can join the ever growing festering pile of dissapointment that are video game movies. (Except you Detective Pikachu, we love you <3)
To sum up Tomb Raider in brief - if you are a fan of the original games, and don't really like the direction the recent games have taken, there is probably nothing here that will interest you.
If you are a fan of the recent game series, then you are probably better off just playing those instead of watching the movie adaption.
The film itself isn't terrible by any means, it's just completely bland and forgettable.
The plot is a run of the mill treasure hunting escapade, which we have seen countless times before, and done much better, with irrelevant side plots that bog down an already boring plot.
The action is so so, with some nice stunt work scattered here and there.
Alicia Vikander seems bored herself - I think as a movie, Tomb Raider is (very slightly) more credible than than the early 2000 efforts, but I do think the character of Lara Croft benefits from Angelina Jolie's charm.
It's like the writers couldn't decide whether to adapt the inexperienced and fighting-to-survive Lara Croft from the reboot series, or the more confident, one-liner Lara Croft from the original series, resulting in a flat adaption of either one.
All of the other characters involved are just as flat, so much so that I genuinely can't remember any of their names, or even who played them, with the exception of Dominic West - that dude is just in everything.
The script doesn't help matters one bit, threatening to put you to sleep at any given moment, and riddled with unintentionally funny Hollywood rubbish.
In summary, Tomb Raider can join the ever growing festering pile of dissapointment that are video game movies. (Except you Detective Pikachu, we love you <3)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Finding Dory (2016) in Movies
Apr 19, 2020
Finding Dory taught me this - Pixar are a company who can sell you the same film twice, and then annoyingly get away with it by making said film pretty damn good.
There is no denying that during the first 15 minutes, all I could think about was how everything unfolding was strikingly similar to Finding Nemo, almost as if they were making little effort to hide the fact.
By the time the opening act is over, and the main plot is set in motion, I was successfully drawn in and had forgotten my initial reservations.
The main factor in this is the great cast of characters. This time around, Dory takes centre stage, on a journey to find her parents after years of being separated. The film flits between the main narrative, and (ridiculously adorable) flashbacks to when Dory was a child. We get to see a fair number of new characters, most notably Hank, a suitably grumpy octopus whose irritable personality works great alongside the oblivious nature of Dory. The two of them provide a steady stream of humour. Also Bailey, a beluga whale has a running gag that never once gets old. It's all very well crafted and genuinely funny.
Of course, Nemo and Marlin return from the first film, and although they have a big part to play, Finding Dory resists the urge to turn the narrative too much much towards them, something that would have been easy to do considering the success of Finding Nemo.
There's also a fantastic voice cast attached, including Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Idris Elba, Eugene Levy (absolute legend), Dominic West, Bill Hader - even Sigourney Weaver appears, in one of my favourite running jokes of the film.
The animation is predictably stunning, managing to appeal to both younger and older audiences, and the narrative easily weaves between witty humour, and emotional gut punches - this is Pixar after all.
Finding Dory is a sequel that can stand proudly by it's terrific predecessor.
There is no denying that during the first 15 minutes, all I could think about was how everything unfolding was strikingly similar to Finding Nemo, almost as if they were making little effort to hide the fact.
By the time the opening act is over, and the main plot is set in motion, I was successfully drawn in and had forgotten my initial reservations.
The main factor in this is the great cast of characters. This time around, Dory takes centre stage, on a journey to find her parents after years of being separated. The film flits between the main narrative, and (ridiculously adorable) flashbacks to when Dory was a child. We get to see a fair number of new characters, most notably Hank, a suitably grumpy octopus whose irritable personality works great alongside the oblivious nature of Dory. The two of them provide a steady stream of humour. Also Bailey, a beluga whale has a running gag that never once gets old. It's all very well crafted and genuinely funny.
Of course, Nemo and Marlin return from the first film, and although they have a big part to play, Finding Dory resists the urge to turn the narrative too much much towards them, something that would have been easy to do considering the success of Finding Nemo.
There's also a fantastic voice cast attached, including Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Idris Elba, Eugene Levy (absolute legend), Dominic West, Bill Hader - even Sigourney Weaver appears, in one of my favourite running jokes of the film.
The animation is predictably stunning, managing to appeal to both younger and older audiences, and the narrative easily weaves between witty humour, and emotional gut punches - this is Pixar after all.
Finding Dory is a sequel that can stand proudly by it's terrific predecessor.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Contains little tomb raiding
Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander is probably not the first choice for many to portray legendary video game character, Lara Croft. Perhaps Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman or even Keira Knightley would have been above Vikander to be in with a shot of bagging the role?
That’s all conjecture anyway as Vikander is the leading lady we have ended up with, for better or for worse. But is this Tomb Raider reboot the film to end that dreaded video game to movie curse and can Vikander take on the role that Angelina Jolie made so famous back in the early 00s? Read on to find out.
Lara Croft (Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer (Dominic West) who vanished years earlier. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination – a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes couldn’t be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown.
Director Roar Uthaug, who only has a few Swedish movies to his name, directs a decent, if not outstanding adaptation of the famous character’s origins story that features some nifty action set-pieces intertwined with a hectic and often nausea-inducing filming style. It doesn’t break the video game to movie curse, but it’s a good shot.
Unfortunately, the cast is one of the film’s weakest points. Vikander is a whiny, self-absorbed brat for the majority of the runtime, only letting this insipid persona go in the latter half of the movie. This is through no fault of her own as her performance is as solid as we’ve come to expect from the actress, but the script really lets her down. The film starts off poorly with a messily edited boxing match giving way to a rather implausible bike chase that ends with Vikander face planting the bonnet of a police car. Thankfully, this is as bad as it gets.
From then on, the audience is treated to a selection of thrilling set-pieces, populated by some very good CGI indeed. It’s just unfortunate the characters lack any sort of presence whatsoever. Outside of Vikander’s insipid Lara, the rest of the cast are merely there to offer expositional dialogue. Dominic West in particular, who plays Lara’s father, spouts nothing but exposition, even narrating certain parts of the movie.
Apart from a couple of scenes involving Nick Frost as a greedy pawnbroker, Tomb Raider is devoid of any sense of fun whatsoever
Elsewhere, for a film called Tomb Raider, there’s very little tomb raiding to be had. In fact, it feels like a hybrid of Kong: Skull Island,The Mummy, Indiana Jones and The Hunger Games and for this reason it lacks a sense of identity and any originality whatsoever.
Cinematography wise, Tomb Raider is competent but not exceptional. The shot choices are limited and the action is sometimes messily edited to the point where it’s difficult to tell exactly what it is that’s going on. It avoids unnecessary shaky cam, which is a miracle in itself but it’s not the best the genre has to offer.
Unfortunately, director Roar Uthaug’s idea to go the complete opposite of many blockbusters nowadays results in a film that really doesn’t have a sense of humour. Apart from a couple of scenes involving Nick Frost as a greedy pawnbroker, Tomb Raider is devoid of any sense of fun whatsoever. It seems the scriptwriters missed the memo about the premise being absolutely ridiculous – a dose of humour would have done this tale a world of good.
Overall, Tomb Raider is a decent stab at resurrecting a character that Angelina Jolie performed so well over the course of her two films in the early 00s. Alicia Vikander plays a very different Lara Croft to Jolie and whilst she may need a couple more films for us to get acquainted with her, she’s off to a reasonable if unoriginal start. Whether or not she gets the chance to tomb raid again remains to be seen, it all depends on those box-office numbers.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/03/16/tomb-raider-review-contains-little-tomb-raiding/
That’s all conjecture anyway as Vikander is the leading lady we have ended up with, for better or for worse. But is this Tomb Raider reboot the film to end that dreaded video game to movie curse and can Vikander take on the role that Angelina Jolie made so famous back in the early 00s? Read on to find out.
Lara Croft (Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer (Dominic West) who vanished years earlier. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination – a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes couldn’t be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown.
Director Roar Uthaug, who only has a few Swedish movies to his name, directs a decent, if not outstanding adaptation of the famous character’s origins story that features some nifty action set-pieces intertwined with a hectic and often nausea-inducing filming style. It doesn’t break the video game to movie curse, but it’s a good shot.
Unfortunately, the cast is one of the film’s weakest points. Vikander is a whiny, self-absorbed brat for the majority of the runtime, only letting this insipid persona go in the latter half of the movie. This is through no fault of her own as her performance is as solid as we’ve come to expect from the actress, but the script really lets her down. The film starts off poorly with a messily edited boxing match giving way to a rather implausible bike chase that ends with Vikander face planting the bonnet of a police car. Thankfully, this is as bad as it gets.
From then on, the audience is treated to a selection of thrilling set-pieces, populated by some very good CGI indeed. It’s just unfortunate the characters lack any sort of presence whatsoever. Outside of Vikander’s insipid Lara, the rest of the cast are merely there to offer expositional dialogue. Dominic West in particular, who plays Lara’s father, spouts nothing but exposition, even narrating certain parts of the movie.
Apart from a couple of scenes involving Nick Frost as a greedy pawnbroker, Tomb Raider is devoid of any sense of fun whatsoever
Elsewhere, for a film called Tomb Raider, there’s very little tomb raiding to be had. In fact, it feels like a hybrid of Kong: Skull Island,The Mummy, Indiana Jones and The Hunger Games and for this reason it lacks a sense of identity and any originality whatsoever.
Cinematography wise, Tomb Raider is competent but not exceptional. The shot choices are limited and the action is sometimes messily edited to the point where it’s difficult to tell exactly what it is that’s going on. It avoids unnecessary shaky cam, which is a miracle in itself but it’s not the best the genre has to offer.
Unfortunately, director Roar Uthaug’s idea to go the complete opposite of many blockbusters nowadays results in a film that really doesn’t have a sense of humour. Apart from a couple of scenes involving Nick Frost as a greedy pawnbroker, Tomb Raider is devoid of any sense of fun whatsoever. It seems the scriptwriters missed the memo about the premise being absolutely ridiculous – a dose of humour would have done this tale a world of good.
Overall, Tomb Raider is a decent stab at resurrecting a character that Angelina Jolie performed so well over the course of her two films in the early 00s. Alicia Vikander plays a very different Lara Croft to Jolie and whilst she may need a couple more films for us to get acquainted with her, she’s off to a reasonable if unoriginal start. Whether or not she gets the chance to tomb raid again remains to be seen, it all depends on those box-office numbers.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/03/16/tomb-raider-review-contains-little-tomb-raiding/