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Computational Psychiatry: New Perspectives on Mental Illness
A.David Redish and Joshua A. Gordon
Book
Modern psychiatry is at a crossroads, as it attempts to balance neurological analysis with...
Black Panther (2018)
8.3
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Movie Watch
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T'Challa returns home to the reclusive,...
sci-fi action black panther superhero
Awix (3310 KP) rated Just Mercy (2019) in Movies
Jan 21, 2020
Fact-based courtroom drama. Idealistic young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), fresh out of Harvard, heads down to Alabama and sets up an agency to provide legal support to people with no other recourse. He comes across the case of convicted murderer Walter McMillian (Foxx), which strikes him as deeply compromised. But can he overcome a prejudiced system and win his client justice?
I was all set to be very glib and cynical about what looks like - from the trailer at least - another box-ticking exercise in liberal angst about the Plight of Black America, calculated to have a presence during awards season. Well, to some extent this is that kind of a movie, but it is also a genuinely involving, powerful and moving drama - it's the kind of film that gets past your defences and forces you to care, thanks to basic film-making virtues, a compelling story, and strong performances. Anyone doubting that Michael B Jordan is now a significant leading man should check out his performance here: he brings strength, dignity, and nobility, as you would expect, but there is also a willingness to show naivety and vulnerability. Obviously this is part of a tradition of films about racism in America that includes To Kill a Mockingbird and In the Heat of the Night, but by focusing mainly on the legal plotline and saving its political points until near the end, it makes them all the more impactful when they land. Jordan gets stuck with a bit too much speechifying as the film goes on, and a couple of the supporting performances are arguably overcooked, but otherwise this is an extremely accomplished film.
I was all set to be very glib and cynical about what looks like - from the trailer at least - another box-ticking exercise in liberal angst about the Plight of Black America, calculated to have a presence during awards season. Well, to some extent this is that kind of a movie, but it is also a genuinely involving, powerful and moving drama - it's the kind of film that gets past your defences and forces you to care, thanks to basic film-making virtues, a compelling story, and strong performances. Anyone doubting that Michael B Jordan is now a significant leading man should check out his performance here: he brings strength, dignity, and nobility, as you would expect, but there is also a willingness to show naivety and vulnerability. Obviously this is part of a tradition of films about racism in America that includes To Kill a Mockingbird and In the Heat of the Night, but by focusing mainly on the legal plotline and saving its political points until near the end, it makes them all the more impactful when they land. Jordan gets stuck with a bit too much speechifying as the film goes on, and a couple of the supporting performances are arguably overcooked, but otherwise this is an extremely accomplished film.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Just Mercy (2019) in Movies
Jan 30, 2020 (Updated Jan 31, 2020)
Freedom and Justice
Why is this film not nominated for any awards at the oscars? Why is this film, not being talked about, why is no one talking about this film.
It is a powerful movie, a emotional movie, a film that will make you cry, a overall excellent and phenomenal movie.
The Plot: After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life.
Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson and Tim Blake Nelson are all excellent and shouls have been nominated.
If you havent watched or heard about this film than go look it up and see it, cause it will make you cry.
It is a powerful movie, a emotional movie, a film that will make you cry, a overall excellent and phenomenal movie.
The Plot: After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life.
Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson and Tim Blake Nelson are all excellent and shouls have been nominated.
If you havent watched or heard about this film than go look it up and see it, cause it will make you cry.
Neil Jordan: Interviews
Book
These interviews cover the career to date of Neil Jordan (b. 1950), easily the most renowned...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Fahrenheit 451 (2018) in Movies
Aug 15, 2018
Too much of a slow burner...
It’s been a long time since I read (and hugely enjoyed) the book, however I’m afraid the same can’t be said for this. Although I don’t remember too much about the book, I’m sure I recall it being a fairly dark and gritty dystopian future quite like the one in 1984, but this depiction makes it out to be a little too slick and advanced, and not quite dark enough. I appreciate that the book was written some years ago, but I feel like this version has taken in too much of our idea of future technology instead of sticking closer to the source material. I’m known for not liking films that don’t stick close enough to the books, so maybe that’s affecting my judgement.
Michael B Jordan does okay although I feel he’s a little young for how I imagined Montag to be. Michael Shannon is good as the Captain but i think his character motivations are very well defined and they come across as a bit confused. The plot itself is well explained but the problem is it’s quite slow paced and seems to come across as dull and drags at times. Yet Montag’s motivations seem to too quickly change from devoted Fireman to deviant.
Whilst I don’t think this is a terrible adaptation, it’s not one I’d recommend unless you’ve read the book. The only thing this has done is prompted me to read the book again!
Michael B Jordan does okay although I feel he’s a little young for how I imagined Montag to be. Michael Shannon is good as the Captain but i think his character motivations are very well defined and they come across as a bit confused. The plot itself is well explained but the problem is it’s quite slow paced and seems to come across as dull and drags at times. Yet Montag’s motivations seem to too quickly change from devoted Fireman to deviant.
Whilst I don’t think this is a terrible adaptation, it’s not one I’d recommend unless you’ve read the book. The only thing this has done is prompted me to read the book again!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Just Mercy (2019) in Movies
Feb 7, 2020
Exactly what you'd expect
After much deliberation, I decided on watching Just Mercy today - in all honesty because out of my 3 choices, it was on the earliest.
From seeing the trailer, Just Mercy is exactly the film you'd expect it to be. Which in a way was a tad disappointing, but as it's a true story, it would have been a surprise if it had turned out differently. The performances are very good, Michael B Jordan admittedly using the same facial expressions in most scenes but still a good turn. Jamie Foxx excels as you'd expect him to, it's just a shame he's not on screen as much as you'd like and Brie Larson is underused too. There's a lot of feels in this film too, I'd dare anyone not to be welling up by the end and it's also telling a true story that is important and meaningful, yet slightly worrying that this sort of injustice and racism was still happening in the early 90s!
The problem I think is that whilst this is a good film, it is your typical Oscar fodder. Which is odd considering it's lack of nominations. Films like this are far too common nowadays and there wasn't anything in this that made it stand out. But despite this it's still good and worth a watch for the story alone.
From seeing the trailer, Just Mercy is exactly the film you'd expect it to be. Which in a way was a tad disappointing, but as it's a true story, it would have been a surprise if it had turned out differently. The performances are very good, Michael B Jordan admittedly using the same facial expressions in most scenes but still a good turn. Jamie Foxx excels as you'd expect him to, it's just a shame he's not on screen as much as you'd like and Brie Larson is underused too. There's a lot of feels in this film too, I'd dare anyone not to be welling up by the end and it's also telling a true story that is important and meaningful, yet slightly worrying that this sort of injustice and racism was still happening in the early 90s!
The problem I think is that whilst this is a good film, it is your typical Oscar fodder. Which is odd considering it's lack of nominations. Films like this are far too common nowadays and there wasn't anything in this that made it stand out. But despite this it's still good and worth a watch for the story alone.
Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
5.0
Rate It
Movie
In the future, after a second civil war, most reading in America is confined to the Internet, called...
dystopian future
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
May 19, 2019 (Updated Jun 8, 2019)
A by the numbers origin story, with some great performances that elevate
Black Panther was introduced into the MCU during Civil War, with little time for much backstory. And Ryan Cooglers efforts to illustrate said back story works for the most part.
This film is filled to the brim with vibrant colours, and an extremely likable cast.
Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira (literally throwing wigs at one point), Daniel Kaluuya, and Lulita Nyong'o are all great, and really paint a picture of the tribal togetherness that is Wakanda.
The two villains are where the cast really shines however, and of course, mainly Michael B. Jordan.
Here we have a layered Marvel villain, someone who you can truly sympathise with, whose backstory is fleshed out enough to almost side with him. Almost.
Jordan does a great job of bringing Killmonger to life.
Similar props to Andy Serkis. After a tiny roll in Age of Ultron, he gets a chance here to play Klaue like and absolute psychopath, and it's clear just how much fun he has in to roll.
A few negatives.... The way that Klaue's story arc is concluded is hugely unsatisfying.
The CGI is dodgy in parts, especially during then climatic battle.
The last battle itself is fun for the most part, but the fight between Black Panther and Killmonger falls into the age old MCU trope of 'the-hero-fighting-an-evil-version-of-themselves-in-a-similar-oufit' (see Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Ant-Man for reference)
Martin Freeman's character seems and largely unnecessary addition here, but it's always fun to see characters from other MCU movies.
All in all, Black Panther can be bland in places, but it's done the important part of finally establishing Wakanda in the MCU, and I for one am looking forward to what other stories will occur there (fingers crossed for a Sub-Mariner story line in a sequel!)
This film is filled to the brim with vibrant colours, and an extremely likable cast.
Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira (literally throwing wigs at one point), Daniel Kaluuya, and Lulita Nyong'o are all great, and really paint a picture of the tribal togetherness that is Wakanda.
The two villains are where the cast really shines however, and of course, mainly Michael B. Jordan.
Here we have a layered Marvel villain, someone who you can truly sympathise with, whose backstory is fleshed out enough to almost side with him. Almost.
Jordan does a great job of bringing Killmonger to life.
Similar props to Andy Serkis. After a tiny roll in Age of Ultron, he gets a chance here to play Klaue like and absolute psychopath, and it's clear just how much fun he has in to roll.
A few negatives.... The way that Klaue's story arc is concluded is hugely unsatisfying.
The CGI is dodgy in parts, especially during then climatic battle.
The last battle itself is fun for the most part, but the fight between Black Panther and Killmonger falls into the age old MCU trope of 'the-hero-fighting-an-evil-version-of-themselves-in-a-similar-oufit' (see Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Ant-Man for reference)
Martin Freeman's character seems and largely unnecessary addition here, but it's always fun to see characters from other MCU movies.
All in all, Black Panther can be bland in places, but it's done the important part of finally establishing Wakanda in the MCU, and I for one am looking forward to what other stories will occur there (fingers crossed for a Sub-Mariner story line in a sequel!)