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King Lear (2018)
7.8
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The 80-year-old King Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia,...
TV Movie Shakespeare Drama
Dean (6921 KP) rated Don't Worry Darling (2022) in Movies
Oct 6, 2022
Florence Pugh (1 more)
50's Set
Odd Thriller
A reasonable but slightly odd quirky Thriller. From the Trailer you guess there is going to be some weird quirky reveal into what is going on. The sets and feel of the film look good and with a good Cast. Just took a bit long to get to the reason of what was going on and why. One for those who enjoy films that are very different to the norm if far from a classic.
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Other Stories
Nikolai Leskov and David McDuff
Book
The story of a passionate young woman who escapes her stifling marriage through adultery and murder,...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Little Women (2019) in Movies
Jan 7, 2020
Not my usual kind of movie, but I turn up for anything with Greta Gerwig or Florence Pugh involved in it. Happily this proved not to be the leaden piece of post-MeToo agitprop some of the advertising suggested, but a sensitive and subtle adaptation of a classic piece of literature (it says here). During and after the American Civil War, four sisters (Meg, Amy, Little Jo and Hoss) grow up and come of age, under the steely gaze of their Aunt Ben Cartwright (Meryl Streep). (I may be getting this mixed up with something else.)
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Fighting with My Family (2019) in Movies
Feb 28, 2019
Heavily fictionalised women's-entertainment-wrestling biopic is kept very watchable by solid if familiar structure and a clutch of strong performances. Not really the pure comedy that the trailer suggests it may be; the more serious strands of the plot are surprisingly effective - not really the Dwayne Johnson movie that the publicity material also implies, as a high percentage of his on-screen contribution is in the trailer.
Works pretty well as a sports movie, hitting all the right beats; tries to fudge the fact that entertainment-wrestling isn't strictly speaking sport (i.e., the results of the matches are scripted), not especially successfully. Fun to watch anyway; Florence Pugh carries the movie effortlessly and doesn't even need to go into high gear to do so.
Works pretty well as a sports movie, hitting all the right beats; tries to fudge the fact that entertainment-wrestling isn't strictly speaking sport (i.e., the results of the matches are scripted), not especially successfully. Fun to watch anyway; Florence Pugh carries the movie effortlessly and doesn't even need to go into high gear to do so.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Little Drummer Girl in TV
Dec 9, 2018
When it was announced that Little Drummer Girl was going to be adapted, directed by Park Chan-Wook, starring Alexander Skarsgård, I was so completely excited. Park Chan-Wook's Stoker is one of my favorite films, and Skarsgård is always good.
I feel like there was a high bar set by The Night Manager, another Le Carre adaptation, and this fell way below it. Every few minutes, my friend and I compared them... Little Drummer Girl was just boring. I feel like they could have easily updated it, since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is still alive and well.
Skarsgård essentially played the same character as when he lost his memory as Eric in True Blood. I like Florence Pugh, but her character was just flat for me.
I feel like there was a high bar set by The Night Manager, another Le Carre adaptation, and this fell way below it. Every few minutes, my friend and I compared them... Little Drummer Girl was just boring. I feel like they could have easily updated it, since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is still alive and well.
Skarsgård essentially played the same character as when he lost his memory as Eric in True Blood. I like Florence Pugh, but her character was just flat for me.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Don't Worry Darling (2022) in Movies
Oct 1, 2022
Plays it Too Safe
The previews for the new thriller/mystery DON’T WORRY DARLING shows a housewife in a seemingly idyllic 1950’s paradise community - but something about this seemingly perfect paradise is off - an intriguing premise for a film and one that I am a sucker for. Clearly, it will have some sort of twist that explains the weird situation our heroine is in. Most of the time, I can glean what that twist is going to be, but I gotta give DON’T WORRY DARLING credit, I couldn’t guess this one.
Starring Florence Pugh (BLACK WIDOW) and Harry Styles (of ONE DIMENSION fame), and Directed by Olvia Wilde (who also has a supporting role in this film), DON’T WORRY DARLING is a passable mystery/thriller with a plot twist that “plays fair” with the incongruities early in the film.
This is a safe film - and one that is safely paced - and that is the very definition of “damning with faint praise”. It doesn’t “lean into” the weirdness of the situation or the resultant take on the Male Dominated society of the 1950’s that marginalizes women into subordinate helpers.
Writer Katie Silberman (BOOKSMART) and Director Wilde just are too tame and cautious in their approach to this material and the film drags, slightly, in the first part of the film - a part of the film that could have used more injection of life into it by showing stronger instances of incongruity caused by “the twist” later on or stronger resistance by the Pugh character to break out of the background role her character is bound to, but they shy away from it.
Saving this film is the central performance of Pugh as housewife Alice who is slowly beginning to realize that something is wrong with this piece of heaven. Chris Pine is enigmatically mysterious as Frank, the boss of this experimental community while Wilde, Gemma Chan (THE ETERNALS) and Nick Kroll (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS) all provide solid - if unspectacular - supporting work.
Styles, on the other hand, works hard at his character and to hold his own in his scenes with Pugh, but he just isn’t on the same level of acting ability as Pugh, so his character falls short and seems thin in comparison to hers.
A film that could have been better if the Director and Writer had the courage of their commitments and pushed the envelope further AND if they could have found a counterpart performer to Pugh…but at least it does come up with an original and unique twist.
But, as it is, DON’T WORRY DARLING, falls squarely into “it’s fine, a good way to spend a few hours” category.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Starring Florence Pugh (BLACK WIDOW) and Harry Styles (of ONE DIMENSION fame), and Directed by Olvia Wilde (who also has a supporting role in this film), DON’T WORRY DARLING is a passable mystery/thriller with a plot twist that “plays fair” with the incongruities early in the film.
This is a safe film - and one that is safely paced - and that is the very definition of “damning with faint praise”. It doesn’t “lean into” the weirdness of the situation or the resultant take on the Male Dominated society of the 1950’s that marginalizes women into subordinate helpers.
Writer Katie Silberman (BOOKSMART) and Director Wilde just are too tame and cautious in their approach to this material and the film drags, slightly, in the first part of the film - a part of the film that could have used more injection of life into it by showing stronger instances of incongruity caused by “the twist” later on or stronger resistance by the Pugh character to break out of the background role her character is bound to, but they shy away from it.
Saving this film is the central performance of Pugh as housewife Alice who is slowly beginning to realize that something is wrong with this piece of heaven. Chris Pine is enigmatically mysterious as Frank, the boss of this experimental community while Wilde, Gemma Chan (THE ETERNALS) and Nick Kroll (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS) all provide solid - if unspectacular - supporting work.
Styles, on the other hand, works hard at his character and to hold his own in his scenes with Pugh, but he just isn’t on the same level of acting ability as Pugh, so his character falls short and seems thin in comparison to hers.
A film that could have been better if the Director and Writer had the courage of their commitments and pushed the envelope further AND if they could have found a counterpart performer to Pugh…but at least it does come up with an original and unique twist.
But, as it is, DON’T WORRY DARLING, falls squarely into “it’s fine, a good way to spend a few hours” category.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Awix (3310 KP) rated Outlaw King (2018) in Movies
Nov 11, 2018 (Updated Nov 11, 2018)
Most of the early notices for this film appear to have focused on Chris Pine's full-frontal nude scene, rather than the fact it's clearly the work of people who loved Braveheart so much they decided to make their own version. Early 14th century Scotland suffers under the yoke of English oppression; nobleman Robert the Bruce decides to stand up and do the right thing, even if it does mean breaking his word and murdering his rivals. Much shouting and many mud-spattered battle scenes ensue; the CGI button marked 'arterial spray' gets pressed a lot.
All right if you like this sort of thing, I suppose: some interesting mediaeval detail sneaks in, but most of the characterisation deals in stock types and the film-makers never quite persuaded me of why I should genuinely care about this story. Bruce spends much of the film brooding, which is not really Pine's strong suit, but there are some solid supporting performances (Florence Pugh is predictably good in a very thin part). The battles are well mounted and the scenery is nice; I imagine many people will enjoy this much more than I did. For the record: Chris Pine's winky is barely visible, far less so than Florence Pugh's boobies, which have attracted much less critical attention (now that's what I call a double standard).
All right if you like this sort of thing, I suppose: some interesting mediaeval detail sneaks in, but most of the characterisation deals in stock types and the film-makers never quite persuaded me of why I should genuinely care about this story. Bruce spends much of the film brooding, which is not really Pine's strong suit, but there are some solid supporting performances (Florence Pugh is predictably good in a very thin part). The battles are well mounted and the scenery is nice; I imagine many people will enjoy this much more than I did. For the record: Chris Pine's winky is barely visible, far less so than Florence Pugh's boobies, which have attracted much less critical attention (now that's what I call a double standard).
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Fighting with My Family (2019) in Movies
Jul 4, 2020
The Weight of Dreams And Expectations - 8/10
Fighting With My Family is a 2019 biographical sports comedy/drama based on a documentary, The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family. The documentary was directed by Max Fisher and is about WWE wrestler Paige's career. Written and directed by Stephen Merchant, including executive producer Dwayne Johnson, the film also stars Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, Lena Heady and Vince Vaughn.
In 2000 Norwich, England inseparable siblings Zak (Jack Lowden) and Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) are encouraged by their parents, Rick (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Heady) to wrestle in their family run wrestling promotion. Nervous about her first match, they change the opponent to her brother and the experience she has winning, cements her love of wrestling. Years later, their parents continue to manage and run the family wrestling promotion with both siblings helping to wrestle and train prospective wrestlers. Struggling financially their last hope rides on both children getting signed when they are invited to a WWE tryout. The outcome is bittersweet however when only Saraya is chosen. She is now given a "Once In A Lifetime" opportunity but must leave everyone she knows behind as she goes on this journey alone.
This movie was fantastic! Not just a great wrestling movie but a great movie, period. An emotional roller coaster. The cast was awesome and their camaraderie and chemistry really showed on screen. The writers did a great job keeping dialogue realistic and a plot like life; with its ups and downs. I really didn't think this movie would be that emotional, but it touches on so many themes. It's really a movie for everyone not just wrestling fans. It makes you really feel for the characters and has a way of pulling on your heartstrings in a way few movies do. I almost scored it a point higher but I give this movie an 8/10.
In 2000 Norwich, England inseparable siblings Zak (Jack Lowden) and Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) are encouraged by their parents, Rick (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Heady) to wrestle in their family run wrestling promotion. Nervous about her first match, they change the opponent to her brother and the experience she has winning, cements her love of wrestling. Years later, their parents continue to manage and run the family wrestling promotion with both siblings helping to wrestle and train prospective wrestlers. Struggling financially their last hope rides on both children getting signed when they are invited to a WWE tryout. The outcome is bittersweet however when only Saraya is chosen. She is now given a "Once In A Lifetime" opportunity but must leave everyone she knows behind as she goes on this journey alone.
This movie was fantastic! Not just a great wrestling movie but a great movie, period. An emotional roller coaster. The cast was awesome and their camaraderie and chemistry really showed on screen. The writers did a great job keeping dialogue realistic and a plot like life; with its ups and downs. I really didn't think this movie would be that emotional, but it touches on so many themes. It's really a movie for everyone not just wrestling fans. It makes you really feel for the characters and has a way of pulling on your heartstrings in a way few movies do. I almost scored it a point higher but I give this movie an 8/10.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Fighting with My Family (2019) in Movies
Aug 6, 2020
Florence Pugh (2 more)
The Rock
Vince Vaughn
Fight For Your Dream
Fighting For My Family- tells the story about WWE superstar Paige and her up rising to the WWE. Its a entertaining, dramatic, comedy film. You will have laughs, the push to push your self to the ultimate limit without losing it, without giving up your dreams.
The plot: Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.
Stephen Merchant does a excellent job with his second film that he directed.
Its a excellent film and a must watch if you like the WWE.
The plot: Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.
Stephen Merchant does a excellent job with his second film that he directed.
Its a excellent film and a must watch if you like the WWE.