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David McK (3734 KP) rated The artful dodger in TV
Feb 22, 2026
2023 historical-crime-drama-romance, set in 1850s Australia and following (mainly) Jack Dawkins, aka The Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist, circa 20 years on from the events of that novel,
Now a surgeon in Australia, Dawkins finds himself pulled back into a life of crime with the arrival of a character from his past (Norbert Fagin), and also finds himself falling in love with the Governors daughter Belle, who herself feels trapped by the expectations of her class.
Well worth a watch!
Now a surgeon in Australia, Dawkins finds himself pulled back into a life of crime with the arrival of a character from his past (Norbert Fagin), and also finds himself falling in love with the Governors daughter Belle, who herself feels trapped by the expectations of her class.
Well worth a watch!
Pete Wareham recommended Axis: Bold As Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Nightmare Alley (2021) in Movies
Feb 5, 2022
In short, Nightmare Alley is a sometimes plodding and bloated piece that gets by thanks to a hugely pleasing aesthetic, and a great cast.
Firstly, there is no reason for NA to be 150 minutes long. One could argue that it gives us more time with the many characters introduced, but it feels gratuitous. The first hour and a half has its moments for sure, but it sometimes feels a little direction-less before the last hour hits, and things kick off a bit. It's an issue that certainly impacts proceedings, and I feel it could have lost 30 minutes and been a tighter final product.
Thankfully, the assembled cast is stacked with royalty. Willem Dafoe and Toni Collette are two of my favourite working actors, so having them both involved is a treat. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara are great as the main leads, and the rest of the ensemble is rounded out by some fantastic character actors - Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn - good stuff all round.
The overall visual style is wonderfully Del Toro, from the gloomy and misty carnival sights pierced by neon lights, to the snowy city scape of Buffalo, New York. A lot of the cinematography is gorgeous as well, hats off to Dan Laustsen, and is truly bought to life by a beautifully haunting music score from Nathan Johnson.
All in all, Nightmare Alley ultimately suffers from its pacing, and feels like a slog here and there. However, there are enough positives to carry it over the finish line. I look forward to checking out the black and white version in the near future.
Firstly, there is no reason for NA to be 150 minutes long. One could argue that it gives us more time with the many characters introduced, but it feels gratuitous. The first hour and a half has its moments for sure, but it sometimes feels a little direction-less before the last hour hits, and things kick off a bit. It's an issue that certainly impacts proceedings, and I feel it could have lost 30 minutes and been a tighter final product.
Thankfully, the assembled cast is stacked with royalty. Willem Dafoe and Toni Collette are two of my favourite working actors, so having them both involved is a treat. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara are great as the main leads, and the rest of the ensemble is rounded out by some fantastic character actors - Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn - good stuff all round.
The overall visual style is wonderfully Del Toro, from the gloomy and misty carnival sights pierced by neon lights, to the snowy city scape of Buffalo, New York. A lot of the cinematography is gorgeous as well, hats off to Dan Laustsen, and is truly bought to life by a beautifully haunting music score from Nathan Johnson.
All in all, Nightmare Alley ultimately suffers from its pacing, and feels like a slog here and there. However, there are enough positives to carry it over the finish line. I look forward to checking out the black and white version in the near future.
The Sunshine Diet: Get Some Sunshine into Your Life, Lose Weight and Feel Amazing - Over 120 Delicious Recipes
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Shelina knows how easy it is to let a busy lifestyle get in the way of looking after your health....
The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet - Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Feel Amazing: As Seen in the Hit Film 'Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead'
10.0
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"When I made my film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead I literally was fat, sick and nearly dead. I was...
Andrew Furlong (14 KP) rated Star Trek Beyond (2016) in Movies
Sep 27, 2017
Great tributes to the late Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin (1 more)
The cast and their interactions with each other are good
Like it's predecessors, feels more like a generic Sci-Fi action movie than Trek to me. (3 more)
Idris Elba wasted as another bland villain
Shaky cam
Story just didn't hold my attention
I tried, but I just do not enjoy this
I really wanted to like this, I watched it twice in hopes that I would enjoy it, but it just fell flat for me.