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Awix (3310 KP) rated Worzel Gummidge in TV

Jan 3, 2020

Worzel Gummidge

2019 | Comedy, Fantasy

6.3

(20 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Writer-director-actor-everything Mackenzie Crook's new take on the famous scarecrow draws much more from the original books than the first TV series with Jon Pertwee forty years ago. It certainly sounds like the stuff of classic children's literature: two children visiting the countryside discover Worzel Gummidge, a walking, talking scarecrow.

What makes it special is that, firstly, it is genuinely very funny, with strong performances from all concerned, and, secondly, when it's not trying to be funny, it is actually quite eerie: as the Unthanks' soundtrack played and the scarecrows of Albion stirred into awkward life, I felt a genuine shiver down my spine. It's not quite folk horror for kids, but there is a mystical atmosphere to the whole thing which suits the story extremely well. All of this is handled with a surprising but very welcome lightness of touch. One of the best things I saw on TV in 2019 (not that this is necessarily saying much).

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated City Of God (2002) in Movies

Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)

City Of God (2002)

2002 | Crime, Drama

8.3

(16 Ratings)

Movie Rating

If there is one film I insist folk who don’t often go for a subtitled film watch, then City of God is it. Organised crime takes on a much different flavour in different cultures, and here we see how it is not merely a choice in search of riches and power, but a way of life that becomes a matter of survival. This exceptional film has everything: story, character, beauty, cruelty, ugliness, religion, morality and an abundance of heart and soul. Importantly it was co-directed, including a rare female eye in the genre, and it shows. There is a sensibility to City of God that transcends the trivial nature of many gangster / crime films. The violence is a means by which we feel genuine sorrow and empathy for a world gone mad. A highly polished work of art that resonates in human ways a lot of films on this list fail to do.

Kudos

Amy Norman (1042 KP) rated Queen of Nothing in Books

Apr 1, 2020

Queen of Nothing

Holly Black | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.3

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

This is the final book for the trilogy of The Folk of the Air series.

I adored this book, and struggled to put it down; the culmination of a very fast paced series that delivers.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who preferred Arya's story arc in Game of Thrones but with more magic, intrigue, and scheming oh so many schemes.

Holly has built a beautiful world, that is absolutely intoxicating, and I will honestly ache for more to come from this series.

I also appreciate this book so much for the strong female characters, there were some really subtle and nuanced details that I don't believe a male writer could portray, or even think of.
It is vulnerable in a way that I think most will relate to, and might get under your skin 😉but it is not overwhelming or over the top, in fact it is extremely well balanced overall.

Please go and enjoy for yourself ☺