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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2018) in Movies
Feb 23, 2018
Come for Denzel, stay for...well...there isn't much else to stay for
Denzel Washington is one of the finest actors of his generation. A charismatic screen presence, he commands the viewer's attention whether he is performing a comedy, drama or action film. He has won 2 Oscars as a performer and has been nominated for his acting 6 other times - including (rightfully so) for his performance as the titular character in ROMAN J ISRAEL, ESQ.
And thank goodness he is in this film for I found precious little else to recommend in this movie.
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. tells the story of...ahem...Roman J. Israel, Esq, a "savant" legal attorney (some would call him autistic) who has spent the past many, many years as the behind the scenes lawyer in a rundown 2 person law firm that specializes in defending "the little guy". When his partner unexpectedly dies, Roman is thrust into the world of big time, big business and big MONEY law and when Roman is sucked into this world he suffers a crisis of conscience and must decide between the luxuries that this new, rich life affords and the idealism that has driven him for all these many years.
In lesser hands, this character could have been maudlin or cloying - but in Washington's seasoned hands, this character jumps off the page as a quirky and different sort of person - a genius to be sure - but a troubled genius. One that is more comfortable alone, in his library with his books and legal briefs than with people. Washington threads the needle very well in his portrayal making Roman J. Israel seem like a real person and not just a character.
Also strong is Colin Farrell as the head of the Big Business Law Firm that Roman ends up working for. Farrell has grown as an actor in my eyes - and his portrayal of George Pierce shows a another real person behind the suit and not just a 2 dimensional caricature. Also along for the ride is Carmen Ejogo in an underwritten part as a young idealistic lawyer - and potential love interest for Roman - who reminds Roman of his younger self.
But, despite these performances, the film falls flat because - besides Roman's crisis of conscience - nothing else really happens.
The blame for this has to lie at the hands of screenwriter and director Dan Gilroy (the wonderful, underrated - and underseen - NIGHTCRAWLER). He is fascinated by the intricacies of Roman's world but fails to flesh it out. It's almost as if he was so interested in creating the trees, he never created a forest interesting enough for these trees to live in - or for us to visit.
So come for Denzel, but be warned, if you stay there's not much else to stay for.
Letter Grade B- (because of Denzel's performance)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And thank goodness he is in this film for I found precious little else to recommend in this movie.
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. tells the story of...ahem...Roman J. Israel, Esq, a "savant" legal attorney (some would call him autistic) who has spent the past many, many years as the behind the scenes lawyer in a rundown 2 person law firm that specializes in defending "the little guy". When his partner unexpectedly dies, Roman is thrust into the world of big time, big business and big MONEY law and when Roman is sucked into this world he suffers a crisis of conscience and must decide between the luxuries that this new, rich life affords and the idealism that has driven him for all these many years.
In lesser hands, this character could have been maudlin or cloying - but in Washington's seasoned hands, this character jumps off the page as a quirky and different sort of person - a genius to be sure - but a troubled genius. One that is more comfortable alone, in his library with his books and legal briefs than with people. Washington threads the needle very well in his portrayal making Roman J. Israel seem like a real person and not just a character.
Also strong is Colin Farrell as the head of the Big Business Law Firm that Roman ends up working for. Farrell has grown as an actor in my eyes - and his portrayal of George Pierce shows a another real person behind the suit and not just a 2 dimensional caricature. Also along for the ride is Carmen Ejogo in an underwritten part as a young idealistic lawyer - and potential love interest for Roman - who reminds Roman of his younger self.
But, despite these performances, the film falls flat because - besides Roman's crisis of conscience - nothing else really happens.
The blame for this has to lie at the hands of screenwriter and director Dan Gilroy (the wonderful, underrated - and underseen - NIGHTCRAWLER). He is fascinated by the intricacies of Roman's world but fails to flesh it out. It's almost as if he was so interested in creating the trees, he never created a forest interesting enough for these trees to live in - or for us to visit.
So come for Denzel, but be warned, if you stay there's not much else to stay for.
Letter Grade B- (because of Denzel's performance)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Books
Dec 31, 2017
Outstanding insight, meticulous and moving
Other than historians and international lawyers you will not have heard of the lawyer Hersch Lauterpacht yet he is a very important figure in Philippe Sands' magnificent book.
East West Street is different and distinct in many meaningful ways, telling the fascinating story of the beginning of international human rights, but rather do so as dry legal history it focuses on two of the most significant individuals.
The author weaves the stories of Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin into Sands' own personal family story, which all tie into the 'city of lions' (Lviv/Lwow/Lemberg) in the first few decades of the 20th century. Both men and Sand's own family lived here, a place where East and West meet, hence the book's title.
It culminates into their assistance with the Nuremburg trials of ten senior Nazi figures, with Lauterpacht preparing the first drafts of the opening and closing speeches of the chief prosecution. Crucially he crafted the wording of Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter, enshrining crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression into international law. Lemkin, in the same vein, constructed the concept of genocide, even coining the term.
And Sands discusses his detective work to find answers to numerous questions about his family. In the end his journey reveals tragedy, but a tragedy lightened by knowing the truth.
This is an outstanding book by a barrister, filmmaker and writer. It reeks of intellectual strength, and truly superb.
East West Street is different and distinct in many meaningful ways, telling the fascinating story of the beginning of international human rights, but rather do so as dry legal history it focuses on two of the most significant individuals.
The author weaves the stories of Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin into Sands' own personal family story, which all tie into the 'city of lions' (Lviv/Lwow/Lemberg) in the first few decades of the 20th century. Both men and Sand's own family lived here, a place where East and West meet, hence the book's title.
It culminates into their assistance with the Nuremburg trials of ten senior Nazi figures, with Lauterpacht preparing the first drafts of the opening and closing speeches of the chief prosecution. Crucially he crafted the wording of Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter, enshrining crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression into international law. Lemkin, in the same vein, constructed the concept of genocide, even coining the term.
And Sands discusses his detective work to find answers to numerous questions about his family. In the end his journey reveals tragedy, but a tragedy lightened by knowing the truth.
This is an outstanding book by a barrister, filmmaker and writer. It reeks of intellectual strength, and truly superb.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Thou Shalt Kill
I don't even know where to start when it comes to this book, Scythe really isn't like any book I've ever read it really makes you think about which side would I want to be on. Also, the characters are all so amazing and each one of them plays a part in the story but what really makes this book something special is the world building.
Scythe takes place in a Utopian future ruled by an all knowing AI called the Thunderhead that pretty much runs the entire world and surprisingly hasn't gone all HAL on the world. This is also a future where everyone has not only achieved immortality but they can also turn back the clock and return back to their 20's if they so please, but to handle the growing population certain people are chosen to be Scythes or a type of Grim Reapers for an age of immortality that are treated like celebrities but also feared like gods.
The story follows two teens named Rowan and Citra who are chosen to train as future Scythes a job neither one of them want, which is actually supposed to be a kind of requirement to becoming a Scythe. Throughout their training, we are introduced to different Scythes and what it means to be legal murders and how even a perfect world corruption and evil still manages to take hold.
Scythe takes place in a Utopian future ruled by an all knowing AI called the Thunderhead that pretty much runs the entire world and surprisingly hasn't gone all HAL on the world. This is also a future where everyone has not only achieved immortality but they can also turn back the clock and return back to their 20's if they so please, but to handle the growing population certain people are chosen to be Scythes or a type of Grim Reapers for an age of immortality that are treated like celebrities but also feared like gods.
The story follows two teens named Rowan and Citra who are chosen to train as future Scythes a job neither one of them want, which is actually supposed to be a kind of requirement to becoming a Scythe. Throughout their training, we are introduced to different Scythes and what it means to be legal murders and how even a perfect world corruption and evil still manages to take hold.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Final Destination (2000) in Movies
Oct 3, 2020
"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳... 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯... 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯... 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘋𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺."
In many places somewhat more awesome then I remember, but suffers on subsequent visits because of how increasingly over-the-top these immediately began to get with the deaths in the sequels compared to the more humble ones here - which still finds a morbidity in their simplicity, but no one's being cooked alive in a tanning bed, you feel? Still has a lot going for it, the garrote in the shower is every bit as grisly as you recall and remains one of the hardest-to-watch executions in the entire series. But what actually rings better for me this time around is the heavily portentous teen melodrama packed tight with insane amounts of hilarious foreshadowing and a palpable sense of fear + paranoia (through Wong's clean direction and these astute performances [Sawa in particular is real outstanding]) all over the fact that death just really fucking hates these kids lol. Accomplishes as much playful winking as is legal without going full meta. Still one of the all-timer horror movie premises which honestly should have spawned an infinite number of sequels, but the writing around it is genuinely ingenious here, too. Still prefer the sequels for being leaner and meaner though.
In many places somewhat more awesome then I remember, but suffers on subsequent visits because of how increasingly over-the-top these immediately began to get with the deaths in the sequels compared to the more humble ones here - which still finds a morbidity in their simplicity, but no one's being cooked alive in a tanning bed, you feel? Still has a lot going for it, the garrote in the shower is every bit as grisly as you recall and remains one of the hardest-to-watch executions in the entire series. But what actually rings better for me this time around is the heavily portentous teen melodrama packed tight with insane amounts of hilarious foreshadowing and a palpable sense of fear + paranoia (through Wong's clean direction and these astute performances [Sawa in particular is real outstanding]) all over the fact that death just really fucking hates these kids lol. Accomplishes as much playful winking as is legal without going full meta. Still one of the all-timer horror movie premises which honestly should have spawned an infinite number of sequels, but the writing around it is genuinely ingenious here, too. Still prefer the sequels for being leaner and meaner though.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Never Hike in the Snow (2020) in Movies
Oct 23, 2020
What Never Hike in the Snow lacks in runtime, it makes up for in content.
My only gripe with this solid Friday the 13th short is that it's not longer. It's predecessor, Never Hike Alone, is double the length, and has a drawn out and tense build up before delivering the goods. This one however cuts straight to the gory exploits of Jason Voorhees, and does it style. The violence against the snowy back drop is visually striking, and seeing Jason (played intimidatingly once again by Director Vincente DiSanti) stomp around in a wintery setting is pretty spectacular.
Thom Mathews is back again as Tommy Jarvis, and this time round, Vincent Guastaferro returns as Rick Cologne, a character from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The very fact that these actors are happy to do these shorts speaks volumes about the crew behind it.
DiSanti and Womp Stomp Films prove for a second time just how passionate they are about this franchise. They fully deserve the keys to a full film when all the copyright legal disputes have been resolved, and I for one would love to see what they could do with a big budget.
Overall, another solid effort, if brisk. If one were to watch this, immediately followed by Never Hike Alone, then that would be a feature length Friday the 13th fan film that rivals the best entries of the main film series.
My only gripe with this solid Friday the 13th short is that it's not longer. It's predecessor, Never Hike Alone, is double the length, and has a drawn out and tense build up before delivering the goods. This one however cuts straight to the gory exploits of Jason Voorhees, and does it style. The violence against the snowy back drop is visually striking, and seeing Jason (played intimidatingly once again by Director Vincente DiSanti) stomp around in a wintery setting is pretty spectacular.
Thom Mathews is back again as Tommy Jarvis, and this time round, Vincent Guastaferro returns as Rick Cologne, a character from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The very fact that these actors are happy to do these shorts speaks volumes about the crew behind it.
DiSanti and Womp Stomp Films prove for a second time just how passionate they are about this franchise. They fully deserve the keys to a full film when all the copyright legal disputes have been resolved, and I for one would love to see what they could do with a big budget.
Overall, another solid effort, if brisk. If one were to watch this, immediately followed by Never Hike Alone, then that would be a feature length Friday the 13th fan film that rivals the best entries of the main film series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Oh Danny Girl in Books
Jan 17, 2023 (Updated Jan 17, 2023)
Life Unraveling Can Be Dangerous
When Danny O’Brien goes to court that morning, she’s not expecting anything too difficult in the uncontested divorce she is there to handle. That’s before a gun is found in her briefcase – a gun connected to the high-profile cop killer case where her husband is the defense attorney. Then her husband is murdered in a hotel room with a woman. As Danny realizes the legal peril she is in, she tries to make sense of all that is happening around her. Will she figure things out before it is too late?
This was a great thrill ride from the very beginning, and I had a hard time putting the book down. The characters are great, and help pull us into the story. The chapter breaks also signal that we are switching to another character’s point of view, and this technique is used perfectly to help us understand them better and to fully see what is unfolding. I did think a couple of character moments happened too soon, and a couple of times the chapter breaks were used for false suspense (to keep us from learning something the character had just learned), but these were minor issues for me. Most of the twists surprised me and kept me hooked until I reached the satisfying end. I can’t wait to see what happens to these characters next.
This was a great thrill ride from the very beginning, and I had a hard time putting the book down. The characters are great, and help pull us into the story. The chapter breaks also signal that we are switching to another character’s point of view, and this technique is used perfectly to help us understand them better and to fully see what is unfolding. I did think a couple of character moments happened too soon, and a couple of times the chapter breaks were used for false suspense (to keep us from learning something the character had just learned), but these were minor issues for me. Most of the twists surprised me and kept me hooked until I reached the satisfying end. I can’t wait to see what happens to these characters next.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Aug 4, 2022
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Marriage Story (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Divorce has been depicted many times onscreen, as it’s one of those difficult realities about adult relationships. There’s still a lot of stigma around the breakdown of a marriage, but Marriage Story deals with the topic in a very raw and unique way.
The film follows Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) as they’re going through the turbulent divorce period. The couple share a young son Henry, who naturally causes complications for the two when it comes to custodial agreements.
Marriage Story opens with two gorgeous monologues about what the two characters love about each other, both of which are enough to make you cry a mere few minutes into the film. This contrasts very well with the present day, where they’re both struggling to make their marriage work.
It would have been very easy for Noah Baumbach to encourage the audience to pick sides, leaving them to subconsciously ‘root’ for either party to do well in the scenario. But remarkably that’s not the case, as it’s a very unbiased film that lays everything out on the table for us to see. Each messy, complicated detail is shown to us, and we end up sympathising with both.
One thing I really enjoyed about Marriage Story is the way Baumbach criticises some of the ridiculousness associated with divorce, especially when it comes to legal battles. Nicole reluctantly turns to ruthless lawyer Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern), who is honest about the lies that have to be told in order to get through this.
Dern’s performance is hilarious but also highlights some of the inequalities and utterly baffling scenarios that happen when picking up a legal case. I wasn’t aware of any of them so it was quite a shock.
Watching the film is excruciating in places, but that’s a compliment on how raw and honest it is. It seems wrong for Charlie and Nicole to have to say and do certain things, all dictated by their respective lawyers. A clean break just isn’t possible when a child is involved.
It becomes even more complicated for the couple when Nicole decides to move back to Los Angeles, 2,789 miles away from New York City where she and Charlie used to reside. This creates a very literal distance between them, and causes problems with the battle for custody and Henry’s wellbeing.
Whilst there are many scenes which will reduce you to tears, Marriage Story has some comedic elements to lighten the mood, especially when it comes to Nicole’s family and how they react to the news of the divorce.
The two central performances in Marriage Story really are exceptional, and you become invested in the lives of people you don’t even know. One dramatic scene between Charlie and Nicole in particular had me openly sobbing, as it was full of contempt instead of love. Many of us can react to that exchange in a failing relationship, and it hurts.
If you want a very honest look at what it’s like to go through a divorce, then Marriage Story is just that. This isn’t the kind of film that sugarcoats anything and instead takes its audience on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
The film follows Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) as they’re going through the turbulent divorce period. The couple share a young son Henry, who naturally causes complications for the two when it comes to custodial agreements.
Marriage Story opens with two gorgeous monologues about what the two characters love about each other, both of which are enough to make you cry a mere few minutes into the film. This contrasts very well with the present day, where they’re both struggling to make their marriage work.
It would have been very easy for Noah Baumbach to encourage the audience to pick sides, leaving them to subconsciously ‘root’ for either party to do well in the scenario. But remarkably that’s not the case, as it’s a very unbiased film that lays everything out on the table for us to see. Each messy, complicated detail is shown to us, and we end up sympathising with both.
One thing I really enjoyed about Marriage Story is the way Baumbach criticises some of the ridiculousness associated with divorce, especially when it comes to legal battles. Nicole reluctantly turns to ruthless lawyer Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern), who is honest about the lies that have to be told in order to get through this.
Dern’s performance is hilarious but also highlights some of the inequalities and utterly baffling scenarios that happen when picking up a legal case. I wasn’t aware of any of them so it was quite a shock.
Watching the film is excruciating in places, but that’s a compliment on how raw and honest it is. It seems wrong for Charlie and Nicole to have to say and do certain things, all dictated by their respective lawyers. A clean break just isn’t possible when a child is involved.
It becomes even more complicated for the couple when Nicole decides to move back to Los Angeles, 2,789 miles away from New York City where she and Charlie used to reside. This creates a very literal distance between them, and causes problems with the battle for custody and Henry’s wellbeing.
Whilst there are many scenes which will reduce you to tears, Marriage Story has some comedic elements to lighten the mood, especially when it comes to Nicole’s family and how they react to the news of the divorce.
The two central performances in Marriage Story really are exceptional, and you become invested in the lives of people you don’t even know. One dramatic scene between Charlie and Nicole in particular had me openly sobbing, as it was full of contempt instead of love. Many of us can react to that exchange in a failing relationship, and it hurts.
If you want a very honest look at what it’s like to go through a divorce, then Marriage Story is just that. This isn’t the kind of film that sugarcoats anything and instead takes its audience on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Drop Shot (Myron Bolitar #2) in Books
Apr 3, 2019
In this book, the focus is on Myron Bolitar's tennis clients. Myron is at the US Open watching his client, Duane Richwood play. When shots ring out in the stadium, the result is deadly. Valerie Simpson, a teen tennis player looking to get back in the game, has been murdered. She had come to Myron a few days before to become a potential client. Why was Valerie murdered? Myron feels an obligation to find out, since she had come to him and called him many times. Is she connected to Duane? Myron and Win have a lot of digging to do to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Book 2 in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron is a jack of all trades, but his main trade is as a sports agent. He gives his clients a personal touch, big agencies aren't able to deliver. Plus, he's a lawyer and that helps out as well, especially when his clients seem to need legal services.
I really liked this book. I could connect with it on a personal level, being a former tennis player myself. Not that I was anywhere near being able to play in the US Open, but it was a fun sport.
This book takes you back to look at Valerie's life when she was a tennis star at a very young age. Bring in more murders from her past, political scandals, inappropriate coaches, disappearing suspects, and you have an interesting book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Book 2 in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron is a jack of all trades, but his main trade is as a sports agent. He gives his clients a personal touch, big agencies aren't able to deliver. Plus, he's a lawyer and that helps out as well, especially when his clients seem to need legal services.
I really liked this book. I could connect with it on a personal level, being a former tennis player myself. Not that I was anywhere near being able to play in the US Open, but it was a fun sport.
This book takes you back to look at Valerie's life when she was a tennis star at a very young age. Bring in more murders from her past, political scandals, inappropriate coaches, disappearing suspects, and you have an interesting book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Sam Hill (23 KP) rated Carcassonne in Tabletop Games
Jun 20, 2019
Carcassone is one of the classics of board gaming and great for moving people away from the likes of Monopoly into proper board games.
The basic rules, pick a tile at random, place in a legal position and choose to place a needle, is simple enough that people who do not board game regularly are able to get comfortable quickly with the game. Its simplicity also means that a younger audience is able to readily partake in the game, making decisions on their own, and still have a chance of doing reasonably well.
There is little in the way of language in the game, other than being able to read the score chart everything is pictorial, so this also opens it to playing with people who are too young to read, or speak other languages without buying another copy.
If you're looking for an in depth Euro game however this will not help. There is little in the way of long term strategy, and the tile you pick is random - as a major factor of what you do with your turn this constricts long term planning.
To sum up this is a great game if you are putting it in front of the right audience, or want a simple game to chill out with a beer with, but don't expect such a positive reaction from everyone.
The basic rules, pick a tile at random, place in a legal position and choose to place a needle, is simple enough that people who do not board game regularly are able to get comfortable quickly with the game. Its simplicity also means that a younger audience is able to readily partake in the game, making decisions on their own, and still have a chance of doing reasonably well.
There is little in the way of language in the game, other than being able to read the score chart everything is pictorial, so this also opens it to playing with people who are too young to read, or speak other languages without buying another copy.
If you're looking for an in depth Euro game however this will not help. There is little in the way of long term strategy, and the tile you pick is random - as a major factor of what you do with your turn this constricts long term planning.
To sum up this is a great game if you are putting it in front of the right audience, or want a simple game to chill out with a beer with, but don't expect such a positive reaction from everyone.