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Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
1984 | Adventure, Drama
Umpty-tumpth Tarzan movie goes back to Burroughs and features most of the stuff you'd expect from this kind of thing: posh English couple cark it somewhere in Africa, leaving infant son to be raised by wild apes. He grows up, quickly learns to wear a loincloth so as not to outrage the censor, rediscovers his heritage, and so on.

Christopher Lambert is pretty good as the Lord of the Apes, though the script has to explain exactly why Tarzan has a French accent; Ralph Richardson and Ian Holm are really better in supporting roles, though. If the film has a problem it's that it's just a bit too downbeat and glum for a Tarzan movie - you can take gritty realism just a bit too far, and director Hugh Hudson seems determined to make serious angry points about the evils of imperialism, colonialism, and the British establishment. Still, it's probably preferable to most of the previous, ultra-silly Tarzan movies.
  
Racer and the Jailbird (2017)
Racer and the Jailbird (2017)
2017 | Crime, Drama, International
Very much game-of-two-halves coming together of French and Belgian talent. Charismatic gangster begins passionate affair with beautiful young racing driver, but can their love survive the stress placed on it by his career choices? Starts off looking like a slick and very commercial thriller with more than a splash of romance; second half turns into a rather glum, somewhat preposterous drama about how love can be the worst prison of all - either of these films would have been okay, but together it's two great tastes that just don't mix.

Still, fine acting from the two leads, and the first half is really, really good - does that make the way the film falls over as it gets closer to the end more or less of a disappointment? Not sure. The first half on its own would rate about an 8, the second probably a 5; probably still worth watching, though. (Racer and the Jailbird is a terrible choice of title, by the way.)
  
TF
The French Kiss
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have enjoyed all the James Patterson’s novels I have read to date.

This was the first of his BookShots that I had bought and when I saw it on audible.co.uk and lasted just over 3 hours I thought it would be perfect for a drive I had ahead of me. However, I was disappointed. The story itself is fast paced and in well-known Patterson style but I found it to be a weaker plot with predictable conclusion. I found the narrator, Jean Brassard, difficult to follow at times as he spoke with (in my opinion) a poor French/American accent. I think I would have preferred to read it rather than listen in this case.

MoMo Book Diary gives the audiobook a 3* rating – as I did not enjoy the narrator and found the book to be lacking in James Patterson’s normal style. This review is also published on my blog momobookdiary.com and Amazon websites.
  
Guillotine
Guillotine
1998 | Card Game, Humor, Napoleonic
Simple, Easy, Elegant, Dark Humor (1 more)
Theme works perfectly even if it's a bit distasteful
A great travel card game.
This game is a must when we travel. It plays elegantly two players, and even better with more players making it slightly more chaotic. The whole game is using the cards in your hand to manipulate the line in order to collect the most powerful heads from the guillotine during the french revolution. This game is super easy to teach: Here's your cards, read what they do.... each turn you can play one of them to change the line. After playing your card (or not) you get to collect the next "head" in line.

   For something this simple there really shouldn't be as much depth to this game, but it does have some good strategy, and really is a good time. Plus it's quick, we play a game in about 15 minutes.... perfect for having a drink on a balcony overlooking the ocean, and working on the line.
  
Early Man (2018)
Early Man (2018)
2018 | Animation
A great story (2 more)
Actually a good sense of humor
Tom hiddelston's french accent is hilarious
It's slow (0 more)
Early man is great but forgettable
Ok...so I bet you're wondering what is this? Well let me explain it's a movie from ardman animation, the guys behind Wallace and gromit and it's a love letter to soccer or football as the UK calls it. The reason this didn't get any attention was because the same day it came out in theaters a certain panther themed marvel superhero movie came out so it's easy to understand why. This movie is slow but once it gets done introducing the main characters it picks up. The humor is hilarious and Tom hiddelston's accent was most of the humor!

Does it hold a torch to Wallace and gromit and chicken run? Of course not but at the same time it's a great movie.

I recommend watching it if you're in the mood to watch something or if you need to keep kids quiet
  
The Diving-bell and the Butterfly
The Diving-bell and the Butterfly
Jean-Dominique Bauby | 2015 | Biography
10
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well written and easy to read (0 more)
Bit slow sometimes (0 more)
Emotional
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is a short memoir with snip-bits of chapters. The late Bauby had locked in syndrome, this is one of the reasons that makes this book remarkable. Being unable to speak or move, his story is captured by a friend through the authors blinking with his left eye. He finds a way to rearrange the alphabet in order of letter usage in French. This is not a heart rendering account of a man trapped in (as he calls it) a cocoon, but rather a snap shot of the way he copes, the way his memory allows him to heighten his imagination, the way he separates his existence from the outside world and the way his mind saves him from boredom.
Beautifully written with a conversational tone, this is a wonderful glimpse into the mind of a person whose body no longer works.
  
Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans '66) (2019)
Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans '66) (2019)
2019 | Action, Biography, Drama, Sport
Le Mans-themed movie doesn't quite last the whole 24 hours but certainly takes its time; decent direction and good chemistry from the leads means that two and a half hours mostly skips by. The Ford Motor Company decides to win the famous French endurance race and recruits a renowned racer (Damon) to run their team; he in turn brings in an unpredictable British driver (Bale), who is the very antithesis of a company man.

Very solid entertainment for the most part - rather like that boxing film from a while back, in that Damon turns in a solid leading man turn, allowing Bale to deliver a rather more unorthodox character performance. All the best lines are in the trailer, though, and there's a change of gear near the end which is slightly fluffed. Also arguably slightly disingenuous, in that it delivers a firm anti-corporate groupthink, pro-individual eccentricity message - coming from a major Hollywood studio this inevitably feels a bit insincere.
  
    Jass

    Jass

    Games and Lifestyle

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    App

    Jass (or Yass) for iPhone and iPod touch is a famous card game played mainly in Switzerland,...

    Glosbe Dictionary

    Glosbe Dictionary

    Education and Reference

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    App

    Glosbe is a multilingual dictionary. It covers ALL languages and is developed by the community, just...