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Awix (3310 KP) rated Early Man (2018) in Movies

Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)

Early Man (2018)

2018 | Animation

7.0

(20 Ratings)

Movie Rating

One Million Years F.C.

Another movie from the people who made Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, and if you're familiar with either of those you will know that expectations will be high: Aardman are the British answer to Pixar or Studio Ghibli. Keeping such sky-high standards must be difficult, so we must try to be understanding when they fall a little short - as they do here.

A tribe of comedy cavemen with English accents are driven from their lovely valley by a nasty Bronze Age civilisation who variously sound French, Italian, and German. Brightest of the cavemen hits upon a scheme to win the valley back by playing the invaders at their sacred game, i.e. football (or soccer). Cue lots of sports movie cliches/parodies.

Well, obviously, you can't fault the craft that goes into these films, but on this occasion you can't help noticing the slightness of the story and the fact that it's neither as funny nor, crucially, as clever as many of their previous productions. (The fact that the film has a weird Brexit-friendly political subtext may be an issue for some viewers as well.) I love silly accents, absurd jokes and bad puns as much as the next person (probably more, in truth), but the fact that this film doesn't have the same kind of heart or warmth as (for example) your typical Pixar film is very noticeable. Still, not *actually* that bad.

Kudos

Sarah (7800 KP) created a post

Jun 22, 2018

Yesterday evening I went to watch War Horse at the Lowry Theatre - there has been a lot of hype about this for quite some time, and after seeing it myself I can understand why.

This was a fantastic show. Everything from the folk music interludes (the guy singing had a fantastic voice) to the script which had a lot more humour in than I expected. It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I'm not sure right now how closely this follows the story but it was such an enthralling show. The acting was great, they even did the French and German language barriers very ingeniously.

By far the best bit about this show though is the set, props and the animal mechanics. The set is minimal but very well done, and the animals and horses are truly amazing. It feels strange to begin with seeing how the horses work, but you soon get used to it and by the end, you begin to think they're actually real. And there's also a well done goose that's absolutely hilarious, a great addition to an other serious show.

I'm just annoyed that for half of the show people behind us were loudly rustling & eating sweets, and it really spoils your enjoyment when they're louder than the dialogue. Why is there no consideration any more?

Anyway despite the moan, this is a fantastic show and I'd highly recommend going. 10/10

Kudos Comment

ClareR (5996 KP) rated A Long Petal of the Sea in Books

Jan 14, 2020

A Long Petal of the Sea

Isabel Allende | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

My first, and not my last, Isabel Allende book!

A Long Petal of the Sea is my first foray into the books of Isabel Allende, and after reading this, it most certainly wont be my last.

This is the sweeping historical story of the Dalmau family, their role in the Spanish Civil War, their escape in to France (which was horrific), and their journey to Chile as refugees on the ship ‘Winnipeg’ arranged by the poet Pablo Neruda.

It’s a devastating and yet heartwarming look at humanity and it’s ability to endure. I hadn’t known about the concentration-style camps that the French forced the Spanish refugees in to after Franco and his right wing party won the Civil War. It looks as though people have always been able to destroy one another in inhuman ways (this is no surprise to me, by the way). We see more of the use of concentration camps in Chile after the military coup.

The main characters, Victor and Roser Dalmau continue to see Chile as their home, over and above Spain. They show us that home is where your friends, family and community are - and that you can make this home anywhere.

This book really is a joy to read. I’ve learnt so much of the history of this time, as well as having the pleasure of just reading a great story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my copy of this book to read.