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Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
1999 | Thriller

"David Fincher, man — Fight Club, Se7en, those things. This was another film that when I watched it at the time I had to watch it again, to understand it almost. I was just entranced with it. The performances were fantastic — Helena Bonham Carter, Brad Pitt, Ed Norton. I just thought it was brilliant and shot beautifully."

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Kate Mara recommended Lady Jane (1986) in Movies (curated)

 
Lady Jane (1986)
Lady Jane (1986)
1986 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"You know, I haven’t seen the film in a very long time, but because it was another thing that my sister and I, as kids, would watch — the film Lady Jane, with Helena Bonham Carter. And Helena Bonham Carter was, I think she was like, 17. I feel funny saying that’s one of my favorite films, but it really inspired us, and we’re both actors now, and she is, to us, still amazing. When I watched it, I just remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, that’s my dream,” to play that role. I love her. Lady Jane started my love of period films and the British accent, which I’m obsessed with. I just did my first one. I did a medieval film [Ironclad] that… Do you know Jason Flemyng? He’s one of my really good friends. As soon as I heard Jason Flemyng was doing it and that it was medieval, I was like, I don’t even care what it’s about — I gotta do it just for the fun. I was the only girl on the movie. It was hilarious. And yes, I got to do my British accent."

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Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Crime
Great ensemble cast (0 more)
Decent heist film
I didn't see any reviews before seeing this so I had an open mind. I didn't expect much but found it enjoyable enough as a fan of the the other films. The cast is overall impressive, although Helena Bonham Carter was a bit panto and Rihanna doesn't have many lines. I thought James Corden was miscast as the insurance investigator. Cate Blanchet and Anne Hathaway stood out the most.
It doesn't have the Razmatazz and humour of the original, but it did have a couple of ties to the other films. Don't expect anything too deep or meaningful and you should enjoy it.
  
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
2016 | Action, Family, Sci-Fi
5
5.8 (22 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Well, that was weird.

Surreal, maybe.

Sequel to 2010s 'Alice in Wonderland' which, truth be told, I don't really remember all that much about other than it included the Jabberwock, and that it took liberties with source material.

As I'm not all that familiar with the source material here (Alice through the Looking Glass), I can't really comment on that aspect here (although I have heard that it only has the name in common).

Still heavily relies on the visual aspect, with Johnny Depp again doing his weird and wacky sthick, and with Helena Bonham Carter also returning as the Queen of Hearts alongside the likes of Anne Hathaway, the late (great) Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen being introduced as Time.
  
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
1999 | Thriller
Amazing cast performances in a dark epic
When I first watched Fight Club I had no idea what to expect I just couldn't resist a film starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter and Meat Loaf (!?!) I was very lucky to go into this dark as it really has a powerful plot twist so if you haven’t somehow seen or been told the deal with this film just go watch it now.

Edward Norton stars as a depressed working man who doesn't like his work and gets no sense of satisfaction from it. He starts visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases so that he'll have people to talk to but he’s not the only weirdo doing this when he spots Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) at several of his support groups and subsequently becomes obsessed with her presence. He also meets another odd individual while on a flight, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charming soap salesman. Following a fight between them they become friends and roommates finding the release from fighting to be euphoric they fight more and other men join in, the "fight club." When Tyler and Marla hook up things get complicated with Tyler becoming more and more secretive about his real plans.

This film has a load of great performances but Meat Loaf as Bob a testicular cancer sufferer is pretty special to see. There’s a lot of violence and it’s a pretty dark if humorous in many ways. Norton and Pitt play so well off each other, it's great to watch. The cinematography and soundtrack are amazing, you’ll want to rewatch at least once.
  
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Kaz (232 KP) Jun 16, 2019

Great review! This film definitely needs to be watched a couple of times to really appreciate it.

A Room With a View (1985)
A Room With a View (1985)
1985 | Classics, Comedy, International
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"That to me is the most romantic film of all time, and it makes me cry whenever I watch it. I think that I can credit that film for my hairstyle on Seinfeld back in the day, because I thought Helena Bonham Carter was so exquisite – because she was. And those costumes and that love story, which was so restrained, which made it feel so much more romantic. It’s a very moving story about the love between two people, and I just adored it. And Daniel Day-Lewis gave the most remarkably comedic performance. If you go back and watch that film, which I encourage you to do because it truly holds up – I watched it recently and I was bawling my eyes out – but Daniel Day-Lewis is so f–king funny."

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
2007 | Drama, Musical, Thriller
Super talented actors (2 more)
Beautiful songs
good story
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd: the demon barber of Fleet Street it’s a musical by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd, Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Lovett and Sasha Baron Cohen as Signor Pirelli and Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin.
The story is about Benjamin Barker ( later known as Sweeney Todd), a barber, that had a wife and child. And he was taken away from them because this Judge fancied Benjamin’s wife. He comes back to London to see his wife again after years until he meets Mrs Lovett who tells him she poisoned herself and that Judge Turpin has his daughter as his ward. So Sweeney Todd plans his revenge with Mrs Lovett.
I’ve watched this film more than 10 times and I love it still.
The film is all in shades or browns, greys and reds and the voice choices are marvellous.
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Dec 9, 2018

What a fantastic film!

Enola Holmes (2020)
Enola Holmes (2020)
2020 | Adventure, Crime, Drama
The other Holmes sibling
Sherlock Holmes?

Yep, I'd heard of him.

Mycroft Holmes?

Less well-known, but again: yes. Mainly because of the recent(ish) TV series Sherlock, and the Robert Downey Jr starring films.

Enola Holmes?

I'm afraid to say: nope, never heard of her.

I actually thought at first she was a completely new creation for this Netflix movie, until a little bit of research showed me that she is actually the main character in a series of young adult mystery novels, by American author Nancy Springer (sorry, Nancy: can't say I know who you are either.)

Starring 'Stranger Things' actor Milly Bobby Brown as Enola, I wasn't keen on the talking-straight-to-the-viewer aspects of the movie, which never really held my attention all that much.

I have to say, though, it does contain some considerable 'star power', including the likes of Helena Bonham Carter as the Holmes matriarch (whose disappearance triggers the whole thing) and Henry Cavill - Superman himself! - as a very different take on the middle of the Holms siblings, Sherlock himself
  
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Crime
I am sure the pitch for this sounded pretty good. It is the Ocean’s franchise but with all women. What on earth could possibly go wrong? Well, the script for starters. And the sleepy direction. The normally fairly dependable Gary Ross guilty on both fronts. Although there are some nice scenes and moments in isolation (usually involving Helena Bonham- Carter, who comes out of it all best, because at least she’s funny), it is all far too pedestrian and lacks momentum. A very easy film to fall asleep during, which for a heist movie is a problem! The talent on display is largely wasted, even though in a way they all come out of it with dignity and reputation intact. One other light I took from it was thinking Rihanna as the kooky “Nine Ball” showed some potential for being a decent screen actress, which pleasantly surprised me. Again, it is just about worth watching once, but has to go down as a botched job on the whole.
  
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
1999 | Thriller
Subversively Funny
The first rule of this review is that I cannot talk about this movie.

The second rule of this review is that I CANNOT TALK ABOUT THIS MOVIE!

So...I'm going to talk about this movie.

David Fincher's 1999 mind-tripping epic about 2 friends who join forces to create chaos is not the movie that you think it is. Not even if you've seen it.

Directed by one of the my favorite Directors of all time, FIGHT CLUB tells the story of Edward Norton's character (who's name is never mentioned in the film) who is suffering from insomnia and an all around lack of enthusiasm for life - that is until he runs into 2 people that will profoundly change his life - Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) and, especially, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).

This film was poorly marketed by the studio at the time of it's release - focusing on the "FIGHT CLUB" aspect of this film - and if that is turning you away from this film, then you are missing out, for the "Fight Club" aspect is only one sliver of what this film is about. This film is an incredibly funny parody of society and "fitting in" with over-the-top scenarios and characters masquerading as people and events in "the real world".

David Fincher is perfectly suited for this work. He handled the pacing, style and subject matter with aplomb balancing seriousness and absurdity perfectly to create a subtle parody. It is a masterwork in that you don't notice his Direction - always a mark of a good Director.

Edward Norton, of course, is wonderfully cynical as the Narrator. When this film came out, I went to see it because of him - he was (is?) an actor that (more often than not) picks quality material and delivers a quality performance. Brad Pitt, of course, has the "showier" role and he nails it. This film marked the "coming out" of Pitt as an actor for me - and he hasn't stopped (right up until his deserved Oscar this year for ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD). But, it is the performance of Helena Bonham Carter that caught my eye on this re-watch. Fight Club is one of those films that becomes a different film upon a 2nd (and 3rd and 4th and 5th...) watch - mostly because of the change in perspective of the Marla character. I've now seen this film multiple times and in this viewing it was Marla's journey that captured my attention. It is a terrific performance that is an optical illusion.

This film is not for everyone - so be warned - but if you give it a shot, I think you'll find a richly rewarding - and subversively funny - movie going experience.

Letter Grade: A

9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)