Search

Search only in certain items:

Tammy (2014)
Tammy (2014)
2014 | Comedy
5
4.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Life for Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is a struggle in frustration. She is an outspoken individual who is not shy about speaking her mind and acting out which is often as trouble seems to follow her everywhere.

Following one particularly bad morning, Tammy decides to move away from Illinois once and for all and when her mother offers her no real encouragement, Tammy takes to the road with her grandmother (Susan Sarandon).

Despite her health issues and love for the bottle, Tammy is happy to have the company as she admires the free spirit of her grandmother who wants to have an adventure and live life to the fullest at all times.

Of course trouble seems to find Tammy and before long she has to deal with a slew of problems as well as the increasingly self destructive behavior of her grandmother.

Complications arise when a farmer named Bobby (Mark Duplass), and his father Earl (Gary Cole), enter into the picture to provide distractions to the ladies and to make them start to see the consequences of their action.

Throw in short but solid supporting work from Kathy Bates and Dan Aykroyd, and this film should have been a laugh filled riot. Instead it stays in the bittersweet range far more than it does comedy, as many of the best jokes in the film were shown in the trailer.

I credit McCarthy, who along with Ben Falcone wrote the film, for trying to move beyond the manic comedies that she has done prior. The film is marketed as more of the same but it is not. The film drags in places as you keep waiting for the laughs to come and when they do it is very sporadic. Instead the focus in on emotions, life, and being accountable as well as other heady topics it is just a shame that McCarthy keeps having to play the lovable loser parts as to be honest they are starting to get old. I joked to my wife that a prison in the film looked much like the one in “Identity Thief”.

The film attempts to combine a buddy road trip with some deeper human issues but this is not “Thelma and Louise”, and it does seem that despite the best efforts of all involved, we have seen this trip many times before and it is one that did not need to be taken again.

http://sknr.net/2014/07/02/tammy/
  
The Stolen Sisters
The Stolen Sisters
Louise Jensen | 2020 | Crime, Mystery
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thought-provoking and emotional
This is a thought-provoking and emotional story of 3 sisters who were abducted 20 years ago and how that traumatic event has impacted on them as they have grown into adults.

I haven't read anything by Louise Jensen before and although I am unable to absolutely rave about this book, I will say that it's a well-crafted story that will appeal to many, many readers.

Why am I not raving about this? To be honest, it's hard to explain exactly why and I don't really understand it myself! It started off brilliantly and I was definitely hooked but it just seemed to take too long to get anywhere and although there were surprises, they just didn't hit the spot for me and I didn't get that feeling of excitement and anticipation unfortunately. I don't think this is a fault of the author rather than of me as a reader who is used to reading rollercoaster-of-a-ride books which I don't think this is; I feel it's more of a family drama type story with mystery and tension thrown in.

The story is told in the then and now and from a variety of viewpoints; this isn't as confusing as it sounds and I actually found this worked well for the most part however, I felt that the "then" parts worked better for me and were more engrossing than the "now".

The characters are an interesting bunch, not all of them particularly likeable but all the main ones are well fleshed out.

What I thought shone throughout was the strong relationship between the sisters and the way their horrific experience impacted on their lives and their mental health; this was expertly done with sensitivity and I have no shame in admitting that there were parts that made me a bit emotional - I am the youngest of 3 sisters and I did wonder how we would have turned out if this had happened to us but I quickly stopped that because it is too horrific to contemplate.

Like I said at the beginning, I am unable to say this has been one of my best reads of 2020 but I will certainly read more by this author in the future.
 
Thank you to HQ (an imprint of HarperCollins UK) via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Arrival (2016)
Arrival (2016)
2016 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Thrilling from start to finish
Sci-fi seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance recently, that is, if you don’t count Independence Day: Resurgence which could’ve easily derailed the whole genre, never mind just the franchise.

What with last year’s The Martian, the rebirth of Star Wars and the upcoming Passengers, sci-fi is really getting its mojo back. The subject of this review, Arrival, has been hailed as a masterpiece across the Atlantic. But is it worthy of such a strong adjective?

From the director of Prisoners and Sicario; Arrival is not only one of the best sci-fi films of the last year, it’s up there with the genre’s greatest assets. We’re talking a Close Encounters level of good.

Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when humongous spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extra-terrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.

Amy Adams leads a pleasing cast that includes commanding turns from Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner but it is in our female protagonist that we find the most joy. Adams is fast becoming one of Hollywood’s best actresses and her complex character is superbly written and incredibly well acted.

Elsewhere, the cinematography is truly exceptional with the alien craft taking a backseat to sweeping landscapes from across the world. The focal point of the film, a lush and open Montana valley is filmed to a breath-taking standard especially during Arrival’s opening sequences.

When it comes to special effects, director Denis Villeneuve doesn’t bombard the audience with constant CGI, instead opting for a laidback approach. Even the aliens themselves are understated in their appearance. It’s also fair to say that the film is a slow-burner with very little in the way of action – though it manages to stay well-clear of becoming tedious.

In spite of all this though, Arrival’s greatest strength is its story. This is thinking person’s sci-fi that somehow manages to cement its themes with an emotional heft of gravitational proportions. Throughout the 114 minute running time, we’re constantly reminded of our characters and where it is they come from, something missing from the majority of mass-market blockbusters these days.

Overall, Arrival is more than worthy of an adjective like masterpiece. From it’s incredible story and beautiful cinematography to what is Amy Adams’ best performance to date, it’s a new classic for the sci-fi genre and well worth a watch.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/11/11/thrilling-from-start-to-finish-arrival-review/