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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
Tolkien shows us a snapshot of the author's younger years from orphan to student, from soldier to scholar. I don't know much about his history but I'm familiar with the estate and I was surprised that this went through without their blessing. Not knowing the background I can't say how much is true and how much is artistic license, and sadly in this instance, I'm really not too bothered about finding out. Other biopics have left me with a desire to find out more about the subject matter but this left me rather indifferent about it.
It's not a wildly exciting life story that's captured in the film, what I found more compelling was the way that the creative process was depicted. The way they used visuals to connect everything in his life to his stories was beautifully done. The war scenes are stunning in their simplicity, seeing the colours against the stark backgrounds was incredible and I love how they managed to weave his visions into them. The mist effect was particularly well done.
I love the idea that Tolkien saw all these ideas in what most people would dismiss as life or a trick of the light. At the beginning of the film we see his mother telling the brother a story with the use of a zoetrope. (I'm not sure it's technically a zoetrope, do let me know what it is if I'm wrong.) The way they managed to create the feeling of life in those projections was mesmerising.
I'm quite aware that I haven't mentioned a single member of the cast yet. To be honest, I think I was so engrossed in the visuals that the rest of it was just kind of... there.
I found it difficult to keep track of who was who in his fellowship. I couldn't have told you their names or their individual niches. In fact, near the end I realised I'd got one of their names wrong the entire way through my notes.
Nicholas Hoult isn't an actor I'm particularly excited for in films, he is a consistent performer but I don't think I've seen anything that's wowed me. As Tolkien thought he did bring some surprisingly emotional elements... I definitely hadn't expected to cry at this screening. If I'd have been Edith in the moment where she asks him to tell her a story I'd have fallen in love with him on the spot, it had me leaning in intrigued to see him working everything out.
Visually, the movie is stunning and the feeling it creates is perfect, but everything else in the film felt very non-descript, and a lot of it seemed like it just had a place to make you link it to his writings. Tolkien is more of a nostalgic trip down memory lane than a biopic.
What you should do
The visuals on the big screen were amazing, but I don't think there's enough going on in the rest of the film to warrant a trip to the cinema for it. Try and catch it when it's available on home release though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The ability to create a wall of ideas without getting annoyed that nothing was lined up straight.
It's not a wildly exciting life story that's captured in the film, what I found more compelling was the way that the creative process was depicted. The way they used visuals to connect everything in his life to his stories was beautifully done. The war scenes are stunning in their simplicity, seeing the colours against the stark backgrounds was incredible and I love how they managed to weave his visions into them. The mist effect was particularly well done.
I love the idea that Tolkien saw all these ideas in what most people would dismiss as life or a trick of the light. At the beginning of the film we see his mother telling the brother a story with the use of a zoetrope. (I'm not sure it's technically a zoetrope, do let me know what it is if I'm wrong.) The way they managed to create the feeling of life in those projections was mesmerising.
I'm quite aware that I haven't mentioned a single member of the cast yet. To be honest, I think I was so engrossed in the visuals that the rest of it was just kind of... there.
I found it difficult to keep track of who was who in his fellowship. I couldn't have told you their names or their individual niches. In fact, near the end I realised I'd got one of their names wrong the entire way through my notes.
Nicholas Hoult isn't an actor I'm particularly excited for in films, he is a consistent performer but I don't think I've seen anything that's wowed me. As Tolkien thought he did bring some surprisingly emotional elements... I definitely hadn't expected to cry at this screening. If I'd have been Edith in the moment where she asks him to tell her a story I'd have fallen in love with him on the spot, it had me leaning in intrigued to see him working everything out.
Visually, the movie is stunning and the feeling it creates is perfect, but everything else in the film felt very non-descript, and a lot of it seemed like it just had a place to make you link it to his writings. Tolkien is more of a nostalgic trip down memory lane than a biopic.
What you should do
The visuals on the big screen were amazing, but I don't think there's enough going on in the rest of the film to warrant a trip to the cinema for it. Try and catch it when it's available on home release though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The ability to create a wall of ideas without getting annoyed that nothing was lined up straight.
Katie Guinn (34 KP) rated Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) in Books
Nov 17, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is the fourth installment in the Cormoran Strike series and it has Cormoran and his business partner Robin Ellacott investigating the alleged murder of a child twenty years ago, along with the blackmail of a government minister. Which is a pretty simple plot, and in my opinion could have been told in a shorter book. I love a big, fat novel as much as the next person, but only if it's all necessary and adds to the story. I felt like a good chunk of this one could have been trimmed without hurting the story at all. Another negative involves the relationship between Cormoran and Robin, There's a fair amount of readers (myself included) who, possibly irrationally, ship these two oblivious idiots; who despise Robin's significant other (who I like to call Matthew the twat), and long for Cormoran and Robin to realize they are perfect for each other. If you are one of those people, prepare for disappointment. I am extremely frustrated that I read 600 plus pages to wind up at such an ambivalent ending, Still, the writing was great, the plotting is tight, and the reveal of the villain was surprising, so I rated this book highly anyway. Now excuse me while I go write Corbin fanfics to drown my sorrows.
Bend it Like Bullard
Book
Jimmy Bullard may not have had the perfect hair-do, his Granada Ghia may not have been the flashiest...
Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks
Book
Zen Pencils is an exciting and unique new comic form that takes inspirational and famous quotes and...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Running Into Love (Fluke my Life, #1) in Books
Sep 19, 2019
So I read my first book by this author back in July, Catching Him--a Netgalley read. I liked it but wasn't blown away. So I decided to give this a go, too.
Fawn is running down the street, listening to her music--strangely with her eyes closed?--and bumps literally into Levi sending them sprawling onto the floor. There's an instant attraction but both ignore it and trade a few insults before heading in opposite directions. Only it turns out Levi is moving in across the hall from Fawn.
Before Fawn realises it, she's in a relationship with Levi and they are a cute couple, though Fawn is a little dumb at times. Well, I thought she was a little dumb, Levi thought she was cute in her cluelessness.
I do think the author is very good at writing Alpha males, but they're guys who care about their women and make it obvious they want them. I did like that about Levi.
Fawn's mum and dad made me laugh, mainly her mum with some of her crazy comments like "get yourself knocked up so you don't lose him" and "when's the wedding?"
One again, I liked it but I wasn't in love with the storyline or the characters.
Fawn is running down the street, listening to her music--strangely with her eyes closed?--and bumps literally into Levi sending them sprawling onto the floor. There's an instant attraction but both ignore it and trade a few insults before heading in opposite directions. Only it turns out Levi is moving in across the hall from Fawn.
Before Fawn realises it, she's in a relationship with Levi and they are a cute couple, though Fawn is a little dumb at times. Well, I thought she was a little dumb, Levi thought she was cute in her cluelessness.
I do think the author is very good at writing Alpha males, but they're guys who care about their women and make it obvious they want them. I did like that about Levi.
Fawn's mum and dad made me laugh, mainly her mum with some of her crazy comments like "get yourself knocked up so you don't lose him" and "when's the wedding?"
One again, I liked it but I wasn't in love with the storyline or the characters.
Marylegs (44 KP) rated Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
So this book took over a month for me to read, which considering how its not a relatively long book baffles me. I was not compelled to read this book when I had a spare few minutes. I was not finding myself wanting to stay up just a little bit longer to finish the next chapter. It was honestly really lacking in so many ways.
I love reading YA fantasy/paranormal/mystical books. I love them! I have enjoyed series like House of Night, Sookie Stackhouse, Hunger Games, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I even liked Twilight back before the films. But I just don't get this book at all.
Less than a month after reading it I can barely remember anything that happened. None of the characters were likeable, swoon worthy or even vaguely pleasant. Her mother was frankly useless. The police who randomly seemed to show up completely incompetent and frankly rude (but not in a realistic way).
The 'heroine'.... if you could see or feel how hard my eyes want to roll back into my head thinking about her would give you a better understanding of how I felt towards her. She has no conviction to anything. She isn't even being portrayed as dumb, but that is what she is. Her best 'friend', just vile, not even funny at all.
The main 'love interest' .... called Patch, again with a tendon pulling eye roll. he was the only vaguely interesting character. But even there this book just complete missed the mark with me.
Honestly I have no more words for this book. It seemed to be about nothing at all, and i cant honestly remember any redeeming element of it. Honestly surprised it has 3.something stars on Goodreads. If i could give it less than 1 star I would have. I likely would have given it -Stars. Safe to say i will not be reading any of the others.
I love reading YA fantasy/paranormal/mystical books. I love them! I have enjoyed series like House of Night, Sookie Stackhouse, Hunger Games, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I even liked Twilight back before the films. But I just don't get this book at all.
Less than a month after reading it I can barely remember anything that happened. None of the characters were likeable, swoon worthy or even vaguely pleasant. Her mother was frankly useless. The police who randomly seemed to show up completely incompetent and frankly rude (but not in a realistic way).
The 'heroine'.... if you could see or feel how hard my eyes want to roll back into my head thinking about her would give you a better understanding of how I felt towards her. She has no conviction to anything. She isn't even being portrayed as dumb, but that is what she is. Her best 'friend', just vile, not even funny at all.
The main 'love interest' .... called Patch, again with a tendon pulling eye roll. he was the only vaguely interesting character. But even there this book just complete missed the mark with me.
Honestly I have no more words for this book. It seemed to be about nothing at all, and i cant honestly remember any redeeming element of it. Honestly surprised it has 3.something stars on Goodreads. If i could give it less than 1 star I would have. I likely would have given it -Stars. Safe to say i will not be reading any of the others.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Repossession (Repossession, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>.
First off, I just wanted to say that I found it extremely cool that the outer edges of all the pages were blue!! Super cool!! Pointless but still super cool!
The Repossession is a YA sci-fi story. It centers mainly around the characters of 15 year old Genie and 15 year old Rian. Genie's mother and most of the town of Spurlake believe Genie is possessed by the devil thanks to Reverend Schneider. Genie is imprisoned in her room and treated worst than an actual prisoner. Enter Rian, Genie's boyfriend, to save the day and rescue her. After she escapes her home, she must avoid Reverend Schneider as he wants to take Genie to a place called the Fortress where strange experiments are happening to local kids.
I loved the character of Genie. I felt sorry for her as the way she was being treated in the beginning of the book is horrible. I found Genie to be a very strong character. I loved the fact that the author didn't write her off to be some poor little damsel in distress. Genie could definitely hold her own.
Rian was also a great character! I could feel the love he had for Genie coming through the pages. I liked the fact that he never tried to hold Genie back. He felt real and not like just some character in a book. Rian is also a very strong character.
I'm divided on the cover though. I like it, but then again, I don't. Part of me finds it too plain, but the other part of me thinks that with anything else on the cover, it would make it too cluttered. However, the cover definitely suits the book!! At first the cover didn't make sense to me, but as I read more into the story and learned the major plot (yes, I'm deliberately trying to avoid mentioning it so you can learn what it is yourself), it made total sense! The same about the title although I had to think more about why it was so aptly named "The Repossession."
This book had excellent pacing. It was slow in the places that needed to be paced a bit more slowly and fast in the bits that it were meant to be fast. In fact, it was so hard to stop reading this book. I always think pacing plays a major part in me not wanting to put a book down...well, that and the plot of course!
The only thing that I didn't like was the scientific mumbo jumbo mostly because I didn't understand what was meant. However, this was only for about a chapter or two. If you're in to your science, this probably wouldn't bother you, but I am not scientific oriented at all! In fact, I struggled through science in high school.
I'd definitely recommend The Repossession to others. It was such a thrilling read!!!! It is part of a series, and because I loved the first book so much, I've already bought the sequel The Hunting.
First off, I just wanted to say that I found it extremely cool that the outer edges of all the pages were blue!! Super cool!! Pointless but still super cool!
The Repossession is a YA sci-fi story. It centers mainly around the characters of 15 year old Genie and 15 year old Rian. Genie's mother and most of the town of Spurlake believe Genie is possessed by the devil thanks to Reverend Schneider. Genie is imprisoned in her room and treated worst than an actual prisoner. Enter Rian, Genie's boyfriend, to save the day and rescue her. After she escapes her home, she must avoid Reverend Schneider as he wants to take Genie to a place called the Fortress where strange experiments are happening to local kids.
I loved the character of Genie. I felt sorry for her as the way she was being treated in the beginning of the book is horrible. I found Genie to be a very strong character. I loved the fact that the author didn't write her off to be some poor little damsel in distress. Genie could definitely hold her own.
Rian was also a great character! I could feel the love he had for Genie coming through the pages. I liked the fact that he never tried to hold Genie back. He felt real and not like just some character in a book. Rian is also a very strong character.
I'm divided on the cover though. I like it, but then again, I don't. Part of me finds it too plain, but the other part of me thinks that with anything else on the cover, it would make it too cluttered. However, the cover definitely suits the book!! At first the cover didn't make sense to me, but as I read more into the story and learned the major plot (yes, I'm deliberately trying to avoid mentioning it so you can learn what it is yourself), it made total sense! The same about the title although I had to think more about why it was so aptly named "The Repossession."
This book had excellent pacing. It was slow in the places that needed to be paced a bit more slowly and fast in the bits that it were meant to be fast. In fact, it was so hard to stop reading this book. I always think pacing plays a major part in me not wanting to put a book down...well, that and the plot of course!
The only thing that I didn't like was the scientific mumbo jumbo mostly because I didn't understand what was meant. However, this was only for about a chapter or two. If you're in to your science, this probably wouldn't bother you, but I am not scientific oriented at all! In fact, I struggled through science in high school.
I'd definitely recommend The Repossession to others. It was such a thrilling read!!!! It is part of a series, and because I loved the first book so much, I've already bought the sequel The Hunting.
I would like to start off by saying to Owlcrate, amazing job at curating this book for the box. I was stoked when I opened the box to see this one in there because this was on my wish list!
I know quite a few people on this site did not enjoy this book. I, obviously, am not one of them. I really liked the magical quality of Caraval. It seemed like a really creepy, yet beautiful place to be. As you probably can see, it took me a while to actually read this book, but that's not the writing's fault. I just kept getting distracted or into mini slumps. I promise, I liked this book a lot.
Caraval has gotten a lot of hype and attention, I think for a good reason. This, I believe, is Stephanie Garber's first full novel and she did an excellent job at it. I am excited to see what she comes up with next.
The characters were interesting. I liked Scarlett and her sleuthing skills. She was strong and wanted to protect those around her which I can understand. She is a little too self-sacrificing to be completely relatable, though which is one fault I will put onto her. I can say I wasn't a big fan of her sister, Donatella. That's all I will say about that. The Grand Master Legend was creepy as hell and he wasn't really seen in the book at all. That was great writing to be able to feel that creeping sensation throughout the book. He was just a heavy presence at the back of your mind that you couldn't quite shake. I felt immediately attached and wary of Julian. When you read the book, you'll find out why.
The plot is primarily about the game and sisterhood. Scarlett will do anything to protect Donatella, and I mean anything. She knows she has to win this game she has been dreaming about her whole life to keep Tella safe, and damn it, she is going to do her best. I respect that. I liked the pacing of the plot, though there were a few moments things happened too quickly. I feel like there were a few too many jumps to immediate conclusions for the hints in the game that the readers couldn't necessarily keep up with.
The setting was beautiful. Who wouldn't want to go to this magical circus island? I mean, yes, it's super dangerous, but I would go! I love the rose imagery throughout. It was a great connecting theme that I liked because even if the characters sometimes were disoriented, you could find your way again with the roses.
The game was crazy. Literally. I was so blown away with the thought process Garber had to forman of when she was writing this. Blown. Away.
The twists and turns of this book had me going at all times. I really enjoyed not being able to see things coming, which I usually can when there is more of a suspenseful plot line, but in this one, there were only a few moments I could see ahead.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for the next one!
I know quite a few people on this site did not enjoy this book. I, obviously, am not one of them. I really liked the magical quality of Caraval. It seemed like a really creepy, yet beautiful place to be. As you probably can see, it took me a while to actually read this book, but that's not the writing's fault. I just kept getting distracted or into mini slumps. I promise, I liked this book a lot.
Caraval has gotten a lot of hype and attention, I think for a good reason. This, I believe, is Stephanie Garber's first full novel and she did an excellent job at it. I am excited to see what she comes up with next.
The characters were interesting. I liked Scarlett and her sleuthing skills. She was strong and wanted to protect those around her which I can understand. She is a little too self-sacrificing to be completely relatable, though which is one fault I will put onto her. I can say I wasn't a big fan of her sister, Donatella. That's all I will say about that. The Grand Master Legend was creepy as hell and he wasn't really seen in the book at all. That was great writing to be able to feel that creeping sensation throughout the book. He was just a heavy presence at the back of your mind that you couldn't quite shake. I felt immediately attached and wary of Julian. When you read the book, you'll find out why.
The plot is primarily about the game and sisterhood. Scarlett will do anything to protect Donatella, and I mean anything. She knows she has to win this game she has been dreaming about her whole life to keep Tella safe, and damn it, she is going to do her best. I respect that. I liked the pacing of the plot, though there were a few moments things happened too quickly. I feel like there were a few too many jumps to immediate conclusions for the hints in the game that the readers couldn't necessarily keep up with.
The setting was beautiful. Who wouldn't want to go to this magical circus island? I mean, yes, it's super dangerous, but I would go! I love the rose imagery throughout. It was a great connecting theme that I liked because even if the characters sometimes were disoriented, you could find your way again with the roses.
The game was crazy. Literally. I was so blown away with the thought process Garber had to forman of when she was writing this. Blown. Away.
The twists and turns of this book had me going at all times. I really enjoyed not being able to see things coming, which I usually can when there is more of a suspenseful plot line, but in this one, there were only a few moments I could see ahead.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for the next one!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Killers of the Flower moon (2023) in Movies
Oct 27, 2023
Best Thing Scorses (and DeNiro) have done in many, many years
The BankofMarquis would highly recommend you see the latest epic (and we do mean EPIC) film from famed Director Martin Scorsese in a movie theater. Not because of the beautiful Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto, not because of the Epic-ness of the tale told and not because movie theaters could use your business (all of which are reasons to see it in the movie theaters). You need to see KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON in a movie theater so that you cannot be distracted by things around you (most, notably your PHONE). One needs to immerse themselves in the experience of this 3 1/2 movie to totally understand and appreciate it.
And that is because KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is as much atmosphere, mood and setting as it is story. Early on, one of the characters warns another one that the Osage people (the central group in this story) “don’t say much, listen more and let long pauses hang between words” and Scorsese does much of the same. Letting the story hang - and be told in - the silence between the words. And it works…if you are paying attention.
Starring Scorsese regulars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro and featuring a wonderful, soon-to-be-Oscar-Nominated performance by newcomer Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is based on the novel of the same name by David Gann and tells the tale of the Osage Nation who discover oil on their land in the 1920’s and the white men who come to try to connive and steal it away from them.
Taken on the surface, this story could be a pretty straight-forward white-man steals from the Indians story (substitute Buffalo for Oil and we have a story told so many times before - most notably in the Oscar winning movie DANCING WITH WOLVES), but in the hands of master craftsman Scorsese, this movie is much, much more than that.
Easily his best work in at least 10 years, Scorsese lets this story breathe and focuses in on the mood and atmosphere of the period - and the disparate people that inhabit…and battle for…this land and oil. It is the work of a maestro nearing the end of his tenure, skillfully conducting the Orchestra, one last, loving, magnificent time.
Like Scorsese, this is Oscar winner Robert DeNiro’s best performance in years and will not be surprised if he garners his first Oscar nomination in many, many years. Gone are the histrionics and over-the-top gestures and facial ticks that mar his comedic work (and in some cases his non-comedic work). DeNiro returns to the compact, internal “method” acting that was the hallmark of his early (best) work. You can see that this player still has “game” and he gives the role of William “King” Hale some dimension. This is good for this character could have, in lesser hands, turned into a “mustache-twirling” villain tying the heroine to the railroad tracks but in DeNiro’s capable hands (with Scorsese skillfully leading him) it is so much more.
Speaking of the Heroine, newcomer Lily Gladstone is just a strong and compact in her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart - the Osage woman in the center of the story. She gives Lily some sharp edges along with the rounded corners she is given in the script and the story and more than holds her own with the likes of DeNiro and DiCaprio in the many, many scenes she has with them. Most of the time, she needs to express quite a bit with a look or silence (while looking away) and she is able to convey that very, very well.
Fairing less well in this film is Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, the sad-sack that is the pawn of “King” Hale and the love interest of Lily…or is he? DiCaprio is very good as Burkhart (when has he ever given a bad performance) but this character is thinly written and you can almost see the puppet strings on him. This, probably, is on purpose by Scorsese…but against two solid characters like DeNiro’s “King” Hale and Gladstone’s Molly, there just needed to be a bit more to DiCaprio’s character to make him more interesting.
Since this is a Scorsese film, it is fleshed out by some wonderful character actors led by the always watchable Jesse Plemons as the FBI agent sent to unpack what is going on. Joining him in what are (essentially) extended cameos are John Lithgow, newly minted Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, the always good Tantoo Cardinal, Scott Shepherd (as Leo’s brother) and a myriad of “that guy” and “interesting looking roughnecks” to flesh the feel of the film out - both on the white man as well as the Osage sides of the story.
The aforementioned Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto along with the Costuming (Jacqueline West), Production Design (Jack Fisk) and Score (Robbie Peterson) all add to the mood of the piece and makes it very successful, indeed.
Just be forewarned, it is as every bit of 3 1/2 hours as it’s runtime dictates. There will be long, slow, silent parts that will make you tempted to pick up your phone - but resist that and enjoy the epic mood piece that is KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. You won’t regret it.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis).
And that is because KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is as much atmosphere, mood and setting as it is story. Early on, one of the characters warns another one that the Osage people (the central group in this story) “don’t say much, listen more and let long pauses hang between words” and Scorsese does much of the same. Letting the story hang - and be told in - the silence between the words. And it works…if you are paying attention.
Starring Scorsese regulars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro and featuring a wonderful, soon-to-be-Oscar-Nominated performance by newcomer Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is based on the novel of the same name by David Gann and tells the tale of the Osage Nation who discover oil on their land in the 1920’s and the white men who come to try to connive and steal it away from them.
Taken on the surface, this story could be a pretty straight-forward white-man steals from the Indians story (substitute Buffalo for Oil and we have a story told so many times before - most notably in the Oscar winning movie DANCING WITH WOLVES), but in the hands of master craftsman Scorsese, this movie is much, much more than that.
Easily his best work in at least 10 years, Scorsese lets this story breathe and focuses in on the mood and atmosphere of the period - and the disparate people that inhabit…and battle for…this land and oil. It is the work of a maestro nearing the end of his tenure, skillfully conducting the Orchestra, one last, loving, magnificent time.
Like Scorsese, this is Oscar winner Robert DeNiro’s best performance in years and will not be surprised if he garners his first Oscar nomination in many, many years. Gone are the histrionics and over-the-top gestures and facial ticks that mar his comedic work (and in some cases his non-comedic work). DeNiro returns to the compact, internal “method” acting that was the hallmark of his early (best) work. You can see that this player still has “game” and he gives the role of William “King” Hale some dimension. This is good for this character could have, in lesser hands, turned into a “mustache-twirling” villain tying the heroine to the railroad tracks but in DeNiro’s capable hands (with Scorsese skillfully leading him) it is so much more.
Speaking of the Heroine, newcomer Lily Gladstone is just a strong and compact in her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart - the Osage woman in the center of the story. She gives Lily some sharp edges along with the rounded corners she is given in the script and the story and more than holds her own with the likes of DeNiro and DiCaprio in the many, many scenes she has with them. Most of the time, she needs to express quite a bit with a look or silence (while looking away) and she is able to convey that very, very well.
Fairing less well in this film is Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, the sad-sack that is the pawn of “King” Hale and the love interest of Lily…or is he? DiCaprio is very good as Burkhart (when has he ever given a bad performance) but this character is thinly written and you can almost see the puppet strings on him. This, probably, is on purpose by Scorsese…but against two solid characters like DeNiro’s “King” Hale and Gladstone’s Molly, there just needed to be a bit more to DiCaprio’s character to make him more interesting.
Since this is a Scorsese film, it is fleshed out by some wonderful character actors led by the always watchable Jesse Plemons as the FBI agent sent to unpack what is going on. Joining him in what are (essentially) extended cameos are John Lithgow, newly minted Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, the always good Tantoo Cardinal, Scott Shepherd (as Leo’s brother) and a myriad of “that guy” and “interesting looking roughnecks” to flesh the feel of the film out - both on the white man as well as the Osage sides of the story.
The aforementioned Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto along with the Costuming (Jacqueline West), Production Design (Jack Fisk) and Score (Robbie Peterson) all add to the mood of the piece and makes it very successful, indeed.
Just be forewarned, it is as every bit of 3 1/2 hours as it’s runtime dictates. There will be long, slow, silent parts that will make you tempted to pick up your phone - but resist that and enjoy the epic mood piece that is KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. You won’t regret it.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis).
Mothergamer (1589 KP) rated the PC version of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I love the Assassin's Creed series as past Mother Gamer blogs have shown. While there were a couple I wasn't so thrilled with, I have always enjoyed the stories and exploration the games have offered. The recent Origins definitely captured my heart with all the incredible ancient Egypt history and lore. When Odyssey was announced I was pretty excited because it was going to be set in ancient Greece and I could not wait to play it.
Odyssey is a bit different from its predecessors. The story is set at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war; an ongoing struggle between Sparta and Athens for dominion over Greece. This opens up a lot of interesting places to explore and dialogue options. At the beginning of the game you can choose which Misthios (mercenary) you want to play as; Alexios or his sister Kassandra. It really doesn't matter who you choose because the story is essentially the same for both so it's just a matter of whether or not you prefer to play as a man or a woman. For my first playthrough I went with Kassandra.
Kassandra starts her adventure.
Right from the start, Odyssey hooks you in with an action filled introduction and sets the scene for the story. After that you meet the character you chose; in my case Kassandra and you get a brief tutorial on how the gaming controls work. You also get a mount with this and those controls are pretty easy to navigate. Once you have the hang of it, you can get started on your journey with the main story and the vast amount of side quests.
This is where Odyssey differs a bit. There is more of a role playing aspect to the game with you being able to select different dialogue options while talking to people. You can choose to be cutthroat, a mercenary with a conscience, or ridiculously flirty. Yes, with some of the NPC characters be they men or women Kassandra could have flings with them. Don't worry, nothing overly graphic is shown, but it is definitely heavily implied. Your weapons are different as well. There is no assassin's blade here. You have a precursor artifact weapon in the form of a spear and the options of daggers and swords. You also have a bow and arrows which are quite useful for fighting at a distance.
Have a horse for your travels!
As you level up, you gain ability points which you can use to unlock certain skills to enhance your fighting and stealth from the following three categories in the skills menu: Hunter, Warrior, and Assassin. It is beneficial to unlock these because they are incredibly useful in battles against your enemies. There are also ship battles which bring back memories of Black Flag. The ship battles are challenging, but they are so much fun. You can upgrade your ship to make it a force to be reckoned with. Upgrading the hull is definitely a must so you can ram the heck out of other ships and take little to no damage. You need a crew also of course and Odyssey has an ability where rather than assassinating targets, you can knock them out and recruit them to join your crew.
Unlock abilities in the skills menu.
The running theme for your protagonist is all about family. This is where you are introduced to the mysterious villains, The Cult Of Kosmos who have a hand in much of the conflict in Greece all for power. You have to travel all over the world map to find clues about each cult member in order to reveal their true identity and the location of their main hideout. Once you have those, you can find them and take them out. Be wary however, some cult members are heavily guarded and quite the challenge to fight. This is where Odyssey's notoriety system comes in. The more crimes you commit i.e. murder (come on, you know that's what assassination is), the more likely it is that someone will put a bounty on your head. Then you find yourself relentlessly hunted by bounty hunters with very colorful names. The bounty hunters are no joke and if you do not plan out your strategy and tactics, they will end you. There were some who had lions and they would tag team the crap out of me which could be more than a little frustrating, but that's part of the challenge. Two ways around this are offing the person who put the bounty on your head or paying off the bounty. If you have the coin, you can pay the money and the bounty will go away.
Besides the main story, there are a ton of side quests and conquest missions to do. Sneaking around and taking out guards in a fort can be difficult, but rewarding as you take everyone out and diminish that nation's power. Looting the treasures, burning the supplies, and taking out the captains completes that area and will show you a meter with their power depleting. Once you have completely drained their influence, you get a conquest battle option. You get an epic battle between Spartans and Athenians and you have to take out all the captains during this battle in order to win the conquest. There were times where I totally screwed up and a guard saw me and then I had to brawl my way out among five or six of them. That was a whole other adventure in itself. It definitely raises the stakes when that happens and makes Odyssey feel like a whole new game.
Getting caught by guards sucks. Time to brawl my way out!
My favorite thing to do in Odyssey was exploring. I loved discovering new areas and hanging out in ancient Greece. Climbing up to the tops of high buildings, cliffs, and statues just to synchronize the map and see the view from a high vantage point was pretty fantastic. No two areas were alike and there was always something new to see. Some of the small side quests were hit or miss at times, but I was never bored at all. There was always something to see or do.
An eagle's eye view of ancient Greece.
There are a variety of armor and weapons choices in Odyssey. As you progress, you can upgrade to better armor, weapons, and crafting materials. If you have a favorite armor set, when you upgrade you can glamour the armor to look like the favorite set. Again, this adds a role playing aspect where you can actually gather materials and craft weapons and armor in the game. This is also true for your ship. You can choose a variety of sails, ship designs, and even tailor your crew with characters from past Assassin's Creed games as your lieutenants.
If you're looking for more challenge with your challenge, there are legendary beast and mythological monster fights you can do. The locations of each legendary beast is marked on your world map. With the monsters, you happen upon some of them doing certain quests. This was how I accidentally discovered the fight with Medusa. These fights are insanely hard and Medusa seemed to be the hardest one of all. I got my ass handed to me quite a few times before I finally won. It is vindicating when you do win because they are so difficult and you have to be constantly thinking about your tactics and theirs. The fights absolutely keep you on your toes, but man what a thrill!
Medusa fight is crazy!
When you see the world map, it can be a little overwhelming with how vast it is. Areas you have already explored will be highlighted and areas that are not unlocked are grayed out. The map will also show you what level each area is so you can level grind and plan accordingly. I had fun unlocking the areas and receiving contract quests and bounties which offered lots of drachmae and sometimes item rewards such as armor.
The world map is huge. Get out there and explore!
While I loved Odyssey, there were issues with the game. One of the big things was I was one of the unlucky people who got the game breaking bug of the game dropping frames and freezing completely in enemy fort areas. I had wondered if it was just me so I looked up the issue and found that many others had this issue with the game also. The solution Ubisoft offered was to close the game completely and restart the game. That's more than a little irritating. While the voice acting is good, there were strange audio issues with the voices being off sync and delaying at times. In spite of those issues, I still had fun with Odyssey and loved the game. Even after the main crux of the story is finished, there's still so much left to do with legendary hunts and searching for precursor relics and the upcoming DLC. Odyssey is slightly different from the games before it, but it is lots of fun. Now, I'm going to get out there and do more exploring. See you at the next adventure!
Odyssey is a bit different from its predecessors. The story is set at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war; an ongoing struggle between Sparta and Athens for dominion over Greece. This opens up a lot of interesting places to explore and dialogue options. At the beginning of the game you can choose which Misthios (mercenary) you want to play as; Alexios or his sister Kassandra. It really doesn't matter who you choose because the story is essentially the same for both so it's just a matter of whether or not you prefer to play as a man or a woman. For my first playthrough I went with Kassandra.
Kassandra starts her adventure.
Right from the start, Odyssey hooks you in with an action filled introduction and sets the scene for the story. After that you meet the character you chose; in my case Kassandra and you get a brief tutorial on how the gaming controls work. You also get a mount with this and those controls are pretty easy to navigate. Once you have the hang of it, you can get started on your journey with the main story and the vast amount of side quests.
This is where Odyssey differs a bit. There is more of a role playing aspect to the game with you being able to select different dialogue options while talking to people. You can choose to be cutthroat, a mercenary with a conscience, or ridiculously flirty. Yes, with some of the NPC characters be they men or women Kassandra could have flings with them. Don't worry, nothing overly graphic is shown, but it is definitely heavily implied. Your weapons are different as well. There is no assassin's blade here. You have a precursor artifact weapon in the form of a spear and the options of daggers and swords. You also have a bow and arrows which are quite useful for fighting at a distance.
Have a horse for your travels!
As you level up, you gain ability points which you can use to unlock certain skills to enhance your fighting and stealth from the following three categories in the skills menu: Hunter, Warrior, and Assassin. It is beneficial to unlock these because they are incredibly useful in battles against your enemies. There are also ship battles which bring back memories of Black Flag. The ship battles are challenging, but they are so much fun. You can upgrade your ship to make it a force to be reckoned with. Upgrading the hull is definitely a must so you can ram the heck out of other ships and take little to no damage. You need a crew also of course and Odyssey has an ability where rather than assassinating targets, you can knock them out and recruit them to join your crew.
Unlock abilities in the skills menu.
The running theme for your protagonist is all about family. This is where you are introduced to the mysterious villains, The Cult Of Kosmos who have a hand in much of the conflict in Greece all for power. You have to travel all over the world map to find clues about each cult member in order to reveal their true identity and the location of their main hideout. Once you have those, you can find them and take them out. Be wary however, some cult members are heavily guarded and quite the challenge to fight. This is where Odyssey's notoriety system comes in. The more crimes you commit i.e. murder (come on, you know that's what assassination is), the more likely it is that someone will put a bounty on your head. Then you find yourself relentlessly hunted by bounty hunters with very colorful names. The bounty hunters are no joke and if you do not plan out your strategy and tactics, they will end you. There were some who had lions and they would tag team the crap out of me which could be more than a little frustrating, but that's part of the challenge. Two ways around this are offing the person who put the bounty on your head or paying off the bounty. If you have the coin, you can pay the money and the bounty will go away.
Besides the main story, there are a ton of side quests and conquest missions to do. Sneaking around and taking out guards in a fort can be difficult, but rewarding as you take everyone out and diminish that nation's power. Looting the treasures, burning the supplies, and taking out the captains completes that area and will show you a meter with their power depleting. Once you have completely drained their influence, you get a conquest battle option. You get an epic battle between Spartans and Athenians and you have to take out all the captains during this battle in order to win the conquest. There were times where I totally screwed up and a guard saw me and then I had to brawl my way out among five or six of them. That was a whole other adventure in itself. It definitely raises the stakes when that happens and makes Odyssey feel like a whole new game.
Getting caught by guards sucks. Time to brawl my way out!
My favorite thing to do in Odyssey was exploring. I loved discovering new areas and hanging out in ancient Greece. Climbing up to the tops of high buildings, cliffs, and statues just to synchronize the map and see the view from a high vantage point was pretty fantastic. No two areas were alike and there was always something new to see. Some of the small side quests were hit or miss at times, but I was never bored at all. There was always something to see or do.
An eagle's eye view of ancient Greece.
There are a variety of armor and weapons choices in Odyssey. As you progress, you can upgrade to better armor, weapons, and crafting materials. If you have a favorite armor set, when you upgrade you can glamour the armor to look like the favorite set. Again, this adds a role playing aspect where you can actually gather materials and craft weapons and armor in the game. This is also true for your ship. You can choose a variety of sails, ship designs, and even tailor your crew with characters from past Assassin's Creed games as your lieutenants.
If you're looking for more challenge with your challenge, there are legendary beast and mythological monster fights you can do. The locations of each legendary beast is marked on your world map. With the monsters, you happen upon some of them doing certain quests. This was how I accidentally discovered the fight with Medusa. These fights are insanely hard and Medusa seemed to be the hardest one of all. I got my ass handed to me quite a few times before I finally won. It is vindicating when you do win because they are so difficult and you have to be constantly thinking about your tactics and theirs. The fights absolutely keep you on your toes, but man what a thrill!
Medusa fight is crazy!
When you see the world map, it can be a little overwhelming with how vast it is. Areas you have already explored will be highlighted and areas that are not unlocked are grayed out. The map will also show you what level each area is so you can level grind and plan accordingly. I had fun unlocking the areas and receiving contract quests and bounties which offered lots of drachmae and sometimes item rewards such as armor.
The world map is huge. Get out there and explore!
While I loved Odyssey, there were issues with the game. One of the big things was I was one of the unlucky people who got the game breaking bug of the game dropping frames and freezing completely in enemy fort areas. I had wondered if it was just me so I looked up the issue and found that many others had this issue with the game also. The solution Ubisoft offered was to close the game completely and restart the game. That's more than a little irritating. While the voice acting is good, there were strange audio issues with the voices being off sync and delaying at times. In spite of those issues, I still had fun with Odyssey and loved the game. Even after the main crux of the story is finished, there's still so much left to do with legendary hunts and searching for precursor relics and the upcoming DLC. Odyssey is slightly different from the games before it, but it is lots of fun. Now, I'm going to get out there and do more exploring. See you at the next adventure!