Tony Visconti: the Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy
Book
A name synonymous with ground-breaking music, Tony Visconti has worked with the most dynamic and...
Pool of Life: The Autobiography of a Punjabi Agony Aunt
Kailash Puri and Eleanor Nesbitt
Book
Eleanor Nesbitts introduction contextualises the life of Kailash Puri, Punjabi author and agony...
Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling
Book
Cycling advocates envisage a future in which bikes are a widespread daily form of transportation....
Boom's Blues: Music, Journalism, and Friendship in Wartime
Book
Boom's Blues stands as both a remarkable biography of J. Frank G.Boom (1920-1953) and a recovery of...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Quatermass and the Pit (1967) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 24, 2019)
Performances – The performances from the whole cast is great throughout, we believe the scientific figures, the military ones and the reporter looking for a story. the four main stars of the film know how to make the most of their scenes where their character needs to be the larger focus.
Story – The story follows an object being discovered in London while digger to make the underground larger, we follow how the investigation to learn what this could be from different perspectives which shows how this would be handled in real life. We do have twists which comes from the discoveries going on, but for the most part this keeps things simple, with an air of mystery about what could be happening around the object.
Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi – The horror surrounding this movie comes from what could come from the object, it could bring horrific consequences, this plays into the mystery as we are left with the mystery behind what could be behind it. The sci-fi side of the film comes from the explanation to what could be behind the object and the potential of space being involved.
Settings – The film is set in London and the underground, this is always a tight compact location which will add to suspense and horror in anything.
Special Effects – This film was released in the 1960s, the special effects for the time were great, while we might look down on them now, it showed us just what was capable for the time.
Scene of the Movie – The final act which we are built up to nicely.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The fact they just look like grasshoppers and no one says this.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best hammer horror mystery sci-fi horror films out there, it keeps you guessing before letting everything out in the final act instead of giving away too much too early.
Overall: Must watch Hammer Horror
Shadows and Reflections by Marc Almond
Album Watch
‘Shadows And Reflections’ features sumptuous arrangements of iconic torch songs and 60’s...
pop
Mapping My Return: A Palestinian Memoir
Book
Salman Abu Sitta, who has single-handedly made available crucial mapping work on Palestine, was just...
Johnny Messias (25 KP) rated The Irishman (2019) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
An extended cinematic love letter to some of the finest actors of the last 40 years, and to a bygone era of US history, The Irishman is reassuringly brilliant. Like the best Scorsese joints, its business is power brokers, mobsters and underground schemers, but often as a comedy of manners. De Niro anchors the story, yes as mob enforcer but also as a kind of killer Forrest Gump; “connected” to some key milestones in 1960s America; Bay of Pigs, Jimmy Hoffa’s teamsters, RFK, then later the shadow of Nixon. Famously, we see De Niro’s titular character Frank in his 20s, 30s, 40s, right up until the old age home. Scorsese uses computerised de-aging technology to achieve the effect make-up artists might have parlayed. It works well—mostly. What grips you and takes you in is the bravura acting. Al Pacino gives a wonderful performance as Jimmy Hoffa. He goes full “Pacino” with speeches and grandstanding but it is the lilt of this voice (all sing song) in quiet moments that makes this the best we’ve seen from Al in many a year. Joe Pesci as well. He’s kind of the centre of this world, as the mobster who links up De Niro to Pacino’s Hoffa. Pesci speaks quietly and carefully; you sense how much power he has without any of the violence that was trademark in his famous Casino and Goodfellas roles. Over nearly 3.5 hours (never seems long) what you get is a beautifully written, shot, edited and performed drama about loyalty, friendship and a creeping sense of regret. All with the backdrop of this fascinating period: JFK, Union movements, Cuba, Fidel Castro. It lingers long in the memory and it’s one to cherish, since we surely won’t see its like again.
Stuart Devlin: Designer Goldsmith Silversmith
Carole Devlin and Victoria Kate Simkin
Book
"Stuart Devlin was probably the most original and creative goldsmith and silversmith of his time,...