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Death al Fresco
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When her father is fingered for murder, it’s up to Sally Solari to serve up the real killer before...
My Heart Belongs in the Superstition Mountains: Carmela’s Quandary
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Journey now to Tuscon, Arizona, and into the Superstition Mountains of 1866, where... A Chance...
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Under Lock and Skeleton Key
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Known for her wonderfully addictive characters, multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Wind River (2017) in Movies
Mar 14, 2018
Thoughtful, provocative murder mystery
The back 1/2 of August has traditionally been a dumping ground for bad motion pictures. One exception to this was last year when the deserved Oscar nominated film HELL OR HIGH WATER was released (if you still haven't caught up with this, I highly recommend you do). So when I saw that the writer of HHW, Taylor Sheridan, was coming out with another modern sheriff murder mystery, I was intrigued to say the least.
And, I am happy to report, that this film did not disappoint. While it is not at the level of HHW, it certainly is a thoughtful, provocative murder mystery that is a refreshing change from the normal SuperHero, GGI-fests that festoon the cineplex throughout the course of the summer months.
Written and Directed by Sheridan (the screenwriter of HHW and SICARIO), WIND RIVER tells the tale of a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Coming in to investigate is young, city girl, Florida native, Elizabeth Olsen who teams up with aTribal Police Captain (Graham Greene) and a veteran tracker (Jeremy Renner) to find out what happened.
This could have been a by-the-book murder mystery with the naive, "fish-out-of-water" Olsen learning to love and understand the world she is thrust into, but in the hands (and pen) of Sheridan, it is much, much more. Sheridan creates a mood throughout this film, one of slow, lingering dread and hopelessness - and how he accomplishes this was intriguing to me. He uses the setting of the Indian Reservation to show the "smallness" of the people living there, juxtaposing scenes of vast, wild, cold wilderness with scenes of squalor in the settlement of Native American people living there.
The acting is solid - Olsen is turning into a very good actress and her performance sets the right tone. Greene is, as always, a steady hand on the screen with a pragmatic approach to the inhabitants of the Reservation, but it is Jeremy Renner as the quiet, taciturn tracker who has a loss of his own that parallels the murder investigation, that shines. I've always liked Renner and was high on his potential after his breakout performance in THE HURT LOCKER in 2008. While his performances in the blockbusters that followed have been solid, but not spectacular - you saw glimpses of it in films like THE TOWN - but I've felt that he never quite lived up to that potential - until now. This is a very strong performance (falling just short of Oscar material) but one that anchors this film and mirrors the mood that Sheridan sets up through the location of WIND RIVER.
Not the fastest moving of films, but a thoughtful, intelligent mystery that left me grateful for a film with some meat on the bone after a summer of "Cotton Candy" action flicks
Letter Grade: B+
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
And, I am happy to report, that this film did not disappoint. While it is not at the level of HHW, it certainly is a thoughtful, provocative murder mystery that is a refreshing change from the normal SuperHero, GGI-fests that festoon the cineplex throughout the course of the summer months.
Written and Directed by Sheridan (the screenwriter of HHW and SICARIO), WIND RIVER tells the tale of a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Coming in to investigate is young, city girl, Florida native, Elizabeth Olsen who teams up with aTribal Police Captain (Graham Greene) and a veteran tracker (Jeremy Renner) to find out what happened.
This could have been a by-the-book murder mystery with the naive, "fish-out-of-water" Olsen learning to love and understand the world she is thrust into, but in the hands (and pen) of Sheridan, it is much, much more. Sheridan creates a mood throughout this film, one of slow, lingering dread and hopelessness - and how he accomplishes this was intriguing to me. He uses the setting of the Indian Reservation to show the "smallness" of the people living there, juxtaposing scenes of vast, wild, cold wilderness with scenes of squalor in the settlement of Native American people living there.
The acting is solid - Olsen is turning into a very good actress and her performance sets the right tone. Greene is, as always, a steady hand on the screen with a pragmatic approach to the inhabitants of the Reservation, but it is Jeremy Renner as the quiet, taciturn tracker who has a loss of his own that parallels the murder investigation, that shines. I've always liked Renner and was high on his potential after his breakout performance in THE HURT LOCKER in 2008. While his performances in the blockbusters that followed have been solid, but not spectacular - you saw glimpses of it in films like THE TOWN - but I've felt that he never quite lived up to that potential - until now. This is a very strong performance (falling just short of Oscar material) but one that anchors this film and mirrors the mood that Sheridan sets up through the location of WIND RIVER.
Not the fastest moving of films, but a thoughtful, intelligent mystery that left me grateful for a film with some meat on the bone after a summer of "Cotton Candy" action flicks
Letter Grade: B+
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Revenant (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The movie The Revenant is a new release starring Leonardo DiCaprio
(playing Hugh Glass), Tom Hardy (playing John Fitzgerald), Will Poulter
(playing Jim Bridger), and Forrest Goodluck (playing Glass’ half Indian
son Hawk). It is directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu and Mark L Smith.
Based on previews and ads I had seen for the film; I was really looking
forward to screening this movie.
I am a huge DiCaprio fan, and I have liked most of the recent roles I
have seen Tom Hardy in as well.
The story is based off of true events and follows a novel by Michael
Punke about an actual 19th-century incident in the days of the Western
fur trade. It involves Indian attacks, animal attacks, the struggle for
survival and vengeance.
The background and scenery in the move are breathtaking. The acting is
believable, mostly. The emotions of the characters definitely come
shining through.
Some of the camera shots that the director chooses to hone in on, are
not to my taste. There are only so many up close and personal tight
angle shots of snot running from someone’s nose in a movie that I really
care to see. One time is plenty. There are far more than one of those
types of shots though, and it sort of turned me off.
One of the major scenes involves a vicious bear attack. It was gruesome
and believable and horrifying… the entire audience gasped and squirmed
in their seats uncomfortably.
As much as I wanted to like the film, it just seemed like it dragged on
and on for me. I kept wondering when it was going to end. I’m not sure
if that was because I didn’t like some of the gorier close up shots, or
some of the bouncy camera footage (it makes me feel sick to my stomach)
or if each individual piece of the story itself was just a bit too long
which just added up throughout the movie, but I feel like I spent more
time wondering whether it was going to be over soon, than really truly
getting into the movie. In many longer movies, I am so into the story
that I don’t even notice the passage of time, but that was definitely
not the case for this film.
DiCaprio did a great job portraying a broken, beaten man trying to
survive and ultimately seeking vengeance upon the man who did him wrong,
and Tom Hardy did a great job portraying a man sucked in by greed, but
the performances couldn’t overcome the amount of time spent on getting
from one pint to the next in the film.
I would personally give this movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, but can see how
others would give it a higher rating. It just didn’t turn out to be my
cup of tea.
(playing Hugh Glass), Tom Hardy (playing John Fitzgerald), Will Poulter
(playing Jim Bridger), and Forrest Goodluck (playing Glass’ half Indian
son Hawk). It is directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu and Mark L Smith.
Based on previews and ads I had seen for the film; I was really looking
forward to screening this movie.
I am a huge DiCaprio fan, and I have liked most of the recent roles I
have seen Tom Hardy in as well.
The story is based off of true events and follows a novel by Michael
Punke about an actual 19th-century incident in the days of the Western
fur trade. It involves Indian attacks, animal attacks, the struggle for
survival and vengeance.
The background and scenery in the move are breathtaking. The acting is
believable, mostly. The emotions of the characters definitely come
shining through.
Some of the camera shots that the director chooses to hone in on, are
not to my taste. There are only so many up close and personal tight
angle shots of snot running from someone’s nose in a movie that I really
care to see. One time is plenty. There are far more than one of those
types of shots though, and it sort of turned me off.
One of the major scenes involves a vicious bear attack. It was gruesome
and believable and horrifying… the entire audience gasped and squirmed
in their seats uncomfortably.
As much as I wanted to like the film, it just seemed like it dragged on
and on for me. I kept wondering when it was going to end. I’m not sure
if that was because I didn’t like some of the gorier close up shots, or
some of the bouncy camera footage (it makes me feel sick to my stomach)
or if each individual piece of the story itself was just a bit too long
which just added up throughout the movie, but I feel like I spent more
time wondering whether it was going to be over soon, than really truly
getting into the movie. In many longer movies, I am so into the story
that I don’t even notice the passage of time, but that was definitely
not the case for this film.
DiCaprio did a great job portraying a broken, beaten man trying to
survive and ultimately seeking vengeance upon the man who did him wrong,
and Tom Hardy did a great job portraying a man sucked in by greed, but
the performances couldn’t overcome the amount of time spent on getting
from one pint to the next in the film.
I would personally give this movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, but can see how
others would give it a higher rating. It just didn’t turn out to be my
cup of tea.
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The God of Small Things in Books
Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 11, 2017)
Brilliant way with words
This beautifully-written book tells the story of Estha and Rahel, a twin brother and sister who have been long separated due to a family tragedy about which we only learn the full truth near the end of the book, and who come back together at the age of 31 at the family home.
The book moves seamlessly between the summer that the twins were seven, when their lives changed for ever, and their present, as they strive to come to terms with the guilt of their past. Along with exploring the children's lives, Roy also develops in detail those family members and friends who have been most important to them - their frail violinist grandmother Mamachi (a battered wife turned domestic tyrant after her husband's death), their beautiful, frustrated mother Ammu, their overweight depressive uncle Chacko, and his English ex-wife Margaret and extrovert little daughter Sophie, the mysterious gardener Velutha, the local communist Mr Pillai and the twins' great aunt, 'Baby' (Navomi) Kochamma, the only one of the family to still be around when the twins reach the age of 31, and the most bitter and destructive in the entire doomed clan.
There is a great deal to admire in the book. Roy tells a lot about Indian customs without ever giving way to dry lectures, but there are a lot of unanswered questions left in the book. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful read by a superb author.
The book moves seamlessly between the summer that the twins were seven, when their lives changed for ever, and their present, as they strive to come to terms with the guilt of their past. Along with exploring the children's lives, Roy also develops in detail those family members and friends who have been most important to them - their frail violinist grandmother Mamachi (a battered wife turned domestic tyrant after her husband's death), their beautiful, frustrated mother Ammu, their overweight depressive uncle Chacko, and his English ex-wife Margaret and extrovert little daughter Sophie, the mysterious gardener Velutha, the local communist Mr Pillai and the twins' great aunt, 'Baby' (Navomi) Kochamma, the only one of the family to still be around when the twins reach the age of 31, and the most bitter and destructive in the entire doomed clan.
There is a great deal to admire in the book. Roy tells a lot about Indian customs without ever giving way to dry lectures, but there are a lot of unanswered questions left in the book. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful read by a superb author.
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated A Heart's Danger (A Journey of the Heart, #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
A Heart's Danger by Colleen Coble Things get even more strange as the story continues. Ben and Jessica both want Sarah away from Rand for their own reason. Ben has a little bit of a different plan for his himself. There seems to be something going on and Sarah hear a part of the plan that Ben is talking with Jessica. She could not figure out what they are talking about. Ben wants to get back at Sarah for what she did to save a friend. He got a plan to get rid of Rand for good. Jessica finds Sarah and invites her and Amelia with her and her mother to a picnic. Sarah feels like something is up with Jessica but needs to get out of camp for a bit. There a stage while Rand is out for a few days to get wood for the fort. What do the Indians want with him? Rands see an Indian that looks like his younger brother and he does not shoot. What do they want with Sarah when they got her. Will they save Sarah and Rand or what will they do with them? A Heart's Danger is quite an adventure and Colleen put it together quite well. Will Rand and Sarah see that their love is still strong? Will Rand goes on with his wedding with Jessica? Will Ben and Jessica's plan work?
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated Little House on the Prairie (Little House, #2) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
And so the Ingalls family follow the trend of most Americans in that era of the frontier and move from the big woods to the prairie, encountering the many trials along the way before settling in the Indian Territory.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I must be brutally honest and say that Ma Ingalls' view on the 'Indians' actually repulsed me. I hate the way they were treated by the white man and to read what was so prevalent at the time is truly gut wrenching and appalling as if these so called Christians had shown a bit of Christian love then the story of America would be much different, and personally I think it would be a much better place. But rant over, that really did grind my gears and needed to get it off my chest!
Other than that the book is well written, showing a good level of historical accuracy, as you would expect of a book based on personal experiences, and flows on well from the previous book. It has a good balance of factual recollections weaved delicately with family memories and introduces some much needed new characters into the scene. It progresses well and develops the main characters in a solid manner.
Overall it was enjoyable, but as I said, the attitudes portrayed are quite disgusting and sad really and this lets the book down in my opinion.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I must be brutally honest and say that Ma Ingalls' view on the 'Indians' actually repulsed me. I hate the way they were treated by the white man and to read what was so prevalent at the time is truly gut wrenching and appalling as if these so called Christians had shown a bit of Christian love then the story of America would be much different, and personally I think it would be a much better place. But rant over, that really did grind my gears and needed to get it off my chest!
Other than that the book is well written, showing a good level of historical accuracy, as you would expect of a book based on personal experiences, and flows on well from the previous book. It has a good balance of factual recollections weaved delicately with family memories and introduces some much needed new characters into the scene. It progresses well and develops the main characters in a solid manner.
Overall it was enjoyable, but as I said, the attitudes portrayed are quite disgusting and sad really and this lets the book down in my opinion.