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Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Papillon (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Henry “Papillon” Charriere (Charlie Hunnam) is a safecracker making his name in the Parisian underworld. But when he decides to keep some diamonds from a big score to himself his luck changes. He is framed for a murder and given a life sentence. Even worse for Papillon is that he is being shipped to the Devil’s Island penal colony in French Giana. With no chance at an appeal his only chance at freedom is to escape. On the long boat ride from France to South America he finds an unlikely ally in the form of the forger Louis Dega (Rami Malek). The slight and awkward Dega does not want to escape but rather just survive long enough to have his appeal heard. Papillon agrees to protect Dega in exchange for financing any escape plan Papillon can devise. With Dega’s financial backing Papillon now only has to figure out how to escape from prison no one has been known to escape from on an island surrounded by rivers and ocean, unforgiving jungle and guards who shoot to kill.
Papillon is based on a true story and adapted from the novels “Papillon” and “Banco” written by Charriere himself. This is the second film adaptation of these novels. The other film, also Papillon, is from 1973 stared Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. I have not seen the 1973 version but I did enjoy the story and could be worth viewing to get another directors vision.
The 2018 version is powered but a captivating story of survival and the unlikely friendship of two men thrust together in a harsh environment. Both Hunnam (King Arthur, Pacific Rim) and Malek (Mr. Robot – TV Series, Night at the Museum) give excellent performances. The rest of the cast is okay but these two stars give great performances. Danish director Michael Noer (R, Northwest) does a decent job in the telling of the story visually. There was blood in one scene that was a pink colored and did not look anything like blood and that was a little distracting. The prison seemed realistic and grimy, but also weirdly bright.
Overall I enjoyed this film. I didn’t have any expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised but interesting story. At 2 hours and 13 minutes it does seem a bit too long. This would be a film I would enjoy watching at home and not necessarily something I would spend theater money on.
Papillon is based on a true story and adapted from the novels “Papillon” and “Banco” written by Charriere himself. This is the second film adaptation of these novels. The other film, also Papillon, is from 1973 stared Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. I have not seen the 1973 version but I did enjoy the story and could be worth viewing to get another directors vision.
The 2018 version is powered but a captivating story of survival and the unlikely friendship of two men thrust together in a harsh environment. Both Hunnam (King Arthur, Pacific Rim) and Malek (Mr. Robot – TV Series, Night at the Museum) give excellent performances. The rest of the cast is okay but these two stars give great performances. Danish director Michael Noer (R, Northwest) does a decent job in the telling of the story visually. There was blood in one scene that was a pink colored and did not look anything like blood and that was a little distracting. The prison seemed realistic and grimy, but also weirdly bright.
Overall I enjoyed this film. I didn’t have any expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised but interesting story. At 2 hours and 13 minutes it does seem a bit too long. This would be a film I would enjoy watching at home and not necessarily something I would spend theater money on.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated No Ocean Too Wide (McAlister Family #1) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Between the years of 1869 to 1939 more than 100,000 poor British children were sent across the ocean to Canada with the promise of a better life. Those who took them in to work as farm laborers or household servants were told they were orphansbut was that the truth?
After the tragic loss of their father, the McAlister family is living at the edge of the poorhouse in London in 1908, leaving their mother to scrape by for her three younger children, while oldest daughter, Laura, works on a large estate more than an hour away. When Edna McAlister falls gravely ill and is hospitalized, twins Katie and Garth and eight-year-old Grace are forced into an orphans home before Laura is notified about her familys unfortunate turn of events in London. With hundreds of British children sent on ships to Canada, whether truly orphans or not, Laura knows she must act quickly. But finding her siblings and taking care of her family may cost her everything.
Andrew Fraser, a wealthy young British lawyer and heir to the estate where Laura is in service, discovers that this common practice of finding new homes for penniless children might not be all that it seems. Together Laura and Andrew form an unlikely partnership. Will they arrive in time? Will their friendship blossom into something more?
Inspired by true events, this moving novel follows Laura as she seeks to reunite her family and her siblings who, in their darkest hours, must cling to the words from Isaiah: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God
My Thoughts: This was an interesting compelling book to read. It is honestly hard to read about children being taken away from their families by those who feel they are making the children's lives better when in fact the children are treated like slaves. This is the hard part of the book to read, but the fact is, is that this was actually happening during this time period. The author has done a tremendous job of bringing the truth out in this novel. Like every story that has hardship in it, this one does have a little hope. I certainly look forward to reading the second book in this series.
After the tragic loss of their father, the McAlister family is living at the edge of the poorhouse in London in 1908, leaving their mother to scrape by for her three younger children, while oldest daughter, Laura, works on a large estate more than an hour away. When Edna McAlister falls gravely ill and is hospitalized, twins Katie and Garth and eight-year-old Grace are forced into an orphans home before Laura is notified about her familys unfortunate turn of events in London. With hundreds of British children sent on ships to Canada, whether truly orphans or not, Laura knows she must act quickly. But finding her siblings and taking care of her family may cost her everything.
Andrew Fraser, a wealthy young British lawyer and heir to the estate where Laura is in service, discovers that this common practice of finding new homes for penniless children might not be all that it seems. Together Laura and Andrew form an unlikely partnership. Will they arrive in time? Will their friendship blossom into something more?
Inspired by true events, this moving novel follows Laura as she seeks to reunite her family and her siblings who, in their darkest hours, must cling to the words from Isaiah: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God
My Thoughts: This was an interesting compelling book to read. It is honestly hard to read about children being taken away from their families by those who feel they are making the children's lives better when in fact the children are treated like slaves. This is the hard part of the book to read, but the fact is, is that this was actually happening during this time period. The author has done a tremendous job of bringing the truth out in this novel. Like every story that has hardship in it, this one does have a little hope. I certainly look forward to reading the second book in this series.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Black Hawks in Books
Nov 11, 2019
A gritty story that emerges gradually and organically
The Black Hawks follows Vedren Chel, a young knight-in-training whose training is floundering and he is disengaged. His place in the corrupt country, and its class system, is dubious, and suddenly thrown into doubt when his home city is invaded. He sees the chance to escort young cowardly Prince Tarfel across country as his way out of his dead-end role. Sadly for him, they are kidnapped by the Black Hawk company, a crew of mercenaries as likely to call you an inventive swear-word as to instantly gut you.
The story is one that emerges over time, as Chel and the Black Hawks' journey changes and develops into more of a righteous quest. While I tend to prefer books where I can visualise the overall plot early on, I really enjoyed this and the way everyone was on the back foot the whole time. It gave me, as the reader, the feeling of being unaware and at the mercy of this harsh world, as it did for the characters in the story.
The characters themselves are largely well-developed. Chel is an interesting main character, being morally strong but largely useless in a fight. I was oddly glad that his battle skills barely improved throughout the book, I was at one point dreading chapters of sword forms and stances. He contrasts well with the Black Hawks, who are a grim company of morally corrupt selfish head-cases who are somewhat loyal to each other, but at the same time out for themselves. Within the crew each has their own place, their own skills and their own defined personality. It was a little hard initially to remember each of them, but I quickly got to know them well. Their different skills were well used in the action scenes as the company fought against other crews of mercenaries and corrupt government/church officials.
The plot is strong here. As said earlier, it develops over time with twists and turns and treachery and moral corruption throughout.
While the ending was a little bit of a surprise and a let-down, it felt overall the right way to end this first book in the series.
I had some issues with the pacing, but on the whole really enjoyed this book.
The story is one that emerges over time, as Chel and the Black Hawks' journey changes and develops into more of a righteous quest. While I tend to prefer books where I can visualise the overall plot early on, I really enjoyed this and the way everyone was on the back foot the whole time. It gave me, as the reader, the feeling of being unaware and at the mercy of this harsh world, as it did for the characters in the story.
The characters themselves are largely well-developed. Chel is an interesting main character, being morally strong but largely useless in a fight. I was oddly glad that his battle skills barely improved throughout the book, I was at one point dreading chapters of sword forms and stances. He contrasts well with the Black Hawks, who are a grim company of morally corrupt selfish head-cases who are somewhat loyal to each other, but at the same time out for themselves. Within the crew each has their own place, their own skills and their own defined personality. It was a little hard initially to remember each of them, but I quickly got to know them well. Their different skills were well used in the action scenes as the company fought against other crews of mercenaries and corrupt government/church officials.
The plot is strong here. As said earlier, it develops over time with twists and turns and treachery and moral corruption throughout.
While the ending was a little bit of a surprise and a let-down, it felt overall the right way to end this first book in the series.
I had some issues with the pacing, but on the whole really enjoyed this book.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Kingdom Beyond the Waves in Books
Nov 18, 2019
Professor Amelia Harsh is a discredited academic, shunned by any university she could work for because of her obsession for the lost city of Camlantis which is dismissed by most as a myth. When all her other avenues dry up she grabs a lifeline from a rich industrialist to lead an expedition to find the last evidence of the city.
Meanwhile, why is someone graverobbing obsolete steamman corpses from cemetaries? And why has Furnace-breath Nick - scourge of Quatershift - been asked to break a prisoner free?
For those unfamiliar with Hunt's incredibly imaginative world - revealed in this book to likely be a far future version of our own which somehow mirrors certain aspects such as Victorian England and the French Revolution - would soon be at home in this book, particularly as half of the book involves a trip up a native-infested jungle river worthy of Conrad. Meanwhile the trail is being followed from the other end and the smoggy streets of Middlesteel in the country of Jackals by Furnace-breath Nick's not so mild mannered alter ego, Cornelius Fortune.
The way the story unfolds is very reminiscent of Saturday morning serials that used to be popular when not everyone had a television. There are a series of episodes where our heroes are put into peril and yet somehow (mostly) break free. The difference is in the mostly. Hunt is not afraid of killing off a character and that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and turning the pages to see if that really was the end or there is a miraculous escape on the cards.
The inventiveness Hunt showed in The Court of the Air is very much still evident with a fiendish plot and fantastic ideas zinging off the page together with very clever dialog. Once again this is a book to read carefully and not to skim, it will be so much more rewarding.
All in all this is a stronger book than the first and the characters in it are terrific, heroes and villains alike. There are still Deus Ex Machina escapes here and there but they are on the whole consistent with the world of Jackals.
I would very much recommend this to anyone who likes their science fiction broad and heading to steam punk rather than space opera (although it's not really steam punk) and their adventure old-school swashbuckling. Terrific work.
Meanwhile, why is someone graverobbing obsolete steamman corpses from cemetaries? And why has Furnace-breath Nick - scourge of Quatershift - been asked to break a prisoner free?
For those unfamiliar with Hunt's incredibly imaginative world - revealed in this book to likely be a far future version of our own which somehow mirrors certain aspects such as Victorian England and the French Revolution - would soon be at home in this book, particularly as half of the book involves a trip up a native-infested jungle river worthy of Conrad. Meanwhile the trail is being followed from the other end and the smoggy streets of Middlesteel in the country of Jackals by Furnace-breath Nick's not so mild mannered alter ego, Cornelius Fortune.
The way the story unfolds is very reminiscent of Saturday morning serials that used to be popular when not everyone had a television. There are a series of episodes where our heroes are put into peril and yet somehow (mostly) break free. The difference is in the mostly. Hunt is not afraid of killing off a character and that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and turning the pages to see if that really was the end or there is a miraculous escape on the cards.
The inventiveness Hunt showed in The Court of the Air is very much still evident with a fiendish plot and fantastic ideas zinging off the page together with very clever dialog. Once again this is a book to read carefully and not to skim, it will be so much more rewarding.
All in all this is a stronger book than the first and the characters in it are terrific, heroes and villains alike. There are still Deus Ex Machina escapes here and there but they are on the whole consistent with the world of Jackals.
I would very much recommend this to anyone who likes their science fiction broad and heading to steam punk rather than space opera (although it's not really steam punk) and their adventure old-school swashbuckling. Terrific work.
Ridge Racer Slipstream
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The 15:17 To Paris (2018)
6.2
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From Clint Eastwood comes “The 15:17 to Paris,” which tells the real-life story of three men...
Lower Normandy
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The sixth in the popular French Impressions series, taking the form of a personal travel narrative...
Diffords Cocktails #8 HD
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Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for Britain, 1974-1979
8.0
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Dominic Sandbrook's magnificent account of the late 1970s in Britain - the book behind the major BB2...
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated The Prodigy (2019) in Movies
Sep 25, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
A woman is seen running away from something or someone and ends up being almost hit by an elderly driver, we discover the woman has had her hand cut off, how did this happen? Why did it happen?
Forward to the present day and a pregnant woman is going into early labour, in between scenes of her giving birth we see this guy who gets shot down by police, he is holding a severed hand (remember the lady at the beginning?)....
Within months of baby Miles being born, his mother starts to notice strange things such as not crying during his shots and even saying words. It is put down to him being a genius. However, he is not really a genius at all he noticeably quite evil. This is evident when he squashes a bug in his bare hands at 5 years old, harms his babysitter at age 8, and starts speaking a strange language in his sleep.
One day Miles end up receiving psychiatric help after beating a child in his class with a wrench. Nobody can understand what's going on though and it seems Miles is hearing voices in his head and reacting to what they tell him to do. Miles' mother Sarah is eventually informed that Miles has a spirit living inside of him and that spirit is dangerous, Sarah refuses to believe this at first but after a disturbing situation happens at home she begins to believe that it must be true and after a series of events, finally gets him help to try and rid him of the evil inside of him.
I do find it shocking sometimes what they get young children to say in movies, but especially in this one. Considering the type of movie it is though its understandable and the boy who plays Miles does a fantastic job, down to the facial expressions, so you always know when it is Miles and when it's the spirit.
The movie very much reminds me of 'orphan' - another film with an evil adult/child. The ending was quite a bummer though and makes everything that happened in the movie a complete waste of time. It was interesting watching it unfold though and the end does leave it open for a sequel.
Forward to the present day and a pregnant woman is going into early labour, in between scenes of her giving birth we see this guy who gets shot down by police, he is holding a severed hand (remember the lady at the beginning?)....
Within months of baby Miles being born, his mother starts to notice strange things such as not crying during his shots and even saying words. It is put down to him being a genius. However, he is not really a genius at all he noticeably quite evil. This is evident when he squashes a bug in his bare hands at 5 years old, harms his babysitter at age 8, and starts speaking a strange language in his sleep.
One day Miles end up receiving psychiatric help after beating a child in his class with a wrench. Nobody can understand what's going on though and it seems Miles is hearing voices in his head and reacting to what they tell him to do. Miles' mother Sarah is eventually informed that Miles has a spirit living inside of him and that spirit is dangerous, Sarah refuses to believe this at first but after a disturbing situation happens at home she begins to believe that it must be true and after a series of events, finally gets him help to try and rid him of the evil inside of him.
I do find it shocking sometimes what they get young children to say in movies, but especially in this one. Considering the type of movie it is though its understandable and the boy who plays Miles does a fantastic job, down to the facial expressions, so you always know when it is Miles and when it's the spirit.
The movie very much reminds me of 'orphan' - another film with an evil adult/child. The ending was quite a bummer though and makes everything that happened in the movie a complete waste of time. It was interesting watching it unfold though and the end does leave it open for a sequel.