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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Sisters Brothers (2018) in Movies
Apr 7, 2019 (Updated Apr 7, 2019)
Unorthodox black comedy western. Quarrelsome but proficient hired killers the Sisters brothers (Reilly and Phoenix) are sent to assist in the capture of a mild-mannered chemist with valuable knowledge (Ahmed), but everyone involved finds their priorities starting to shift...
Another one of them there revisionist westerns, probably, which basically means that no-one wears a white hat and everyone probably smells quite bad. This benefits a lot from some really good performances and a good script, for the first three quarters at least. The end is the kind of thing that proper critics tend to enjoy but audiences don't, which may be why this has not done well at the box office. Not sure about the start of the journey or the destination, but there is a lot of fun to be had along the way.
Another one of them there revisionist westerns, probably, which basically means that no-one wears a white hat and everyone probably smells quite bad. This benefits a lot from some really good performances and a good script, for the first three quarters at least. The end is the kind of thing that proper critics tend to enjoy but audiences don't, which may be why this has not done well at the box office. Not sure about the start of the journey or the destination, but there is a lot of fun to be had along the way.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Stepford Wives (1975) in Movies
Mar 30, 2018
Bryan Forbes' SF-horror-satire has left a cultural impression out of all proportion to its original box-office success. Nice modern couple leave grimy New York for idyllic small town of Stepford, where everyone seems happy and the women are thoroughly domesticated. What on Earth can the secret of the place be...?
Subtle storytelling and fine performances do a good job of masking the fact that the premise of the story is basically a paranoid fever-dream; oddly, some people interpreted the film as being anti-feminist and actually misogynistic, when it is actually about male objectification of women and fears of the same (maybe also has stuff to say about consumerism too). Perhaps a bit overlong, but the slow aggregation of details adds a lot to a convincingly unsettling atmosphere. An entertaining horror fable.
Subtle storytelling and fine performances do a good job of masking the fact that the premise of the story is basically a paranoid fever-dream; oddly, some people interpreted the film as being anti-feminist and actually misogynistic, when it is actually about male objectification of women and fears of the same (maybe also has stuff to say about consumerism too). Perhaps a bit overlong, but the slow aggregation of details adds a lot to a convincingly unsettling atmosphere. An entertaining horror fable.
Rache (174 KP) rated The Bright Sessions in Podcasts
Jan 12, 2019
Great plot (3 more)
Brilliant voice actors
Excellent writing
Unique universe
Definitely Atypical
Starting with the introduction of a new patient, Doctor Bright's sessions are recorded in her office as she runs a psychology service for "Atypicals" - people who have a variety of unusual abilities... and associated psychological issues.
The story unfolds, becoming far more involved as the episodes continue. As the story unfolds, the universe expands to involve not just a few Atypicals visiting their doctor, but a vast, shadowy network of government organisations, a population of Atypicals around the world, throughout history, a brilliant "bad guy", and so much more.
Immersive, realistic, unflinching in its poor opinion of much of humanity, dark, moralistic, and all-round fantastic, the only regret is that I didn't discover this podcast until it was already over.
Or is it?
I, for one, certainly hope not!
The story unfolds, becoming far more involved as the episodes continue. As the story unfolds, the universe expands to involve not just a few Atypicals visiting their doctor, but a vast, shadowy network of government organisations, a population of Atypicals around the world, throughout history, a brilliant "bad guy", and so much more.
Immersive, realistic, unflinching in its poor opinion of much of humanity, dark, moralistic, and all-round fantastic, the only regret is that I didn't discover this podcast until it was already over.
Or is it?
I, for one, certainly hope not!
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Roots of Betrayal (Clarenceux, #2) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The Roots of Betrayal carries on where Forrester's first novel, Sacred Treason, left off. Really you need to have read the first book before this as it will make much more sense.
It is a real page turner, but on reflection, the plot itself is almost a sideline to the characters and scenes of fighting, torture, etc going on around them! Plenty of blood is spilled during the novel, so not one for the faint hearted!
Forrester homself, alias historian Ian Mortimer, may rail against the description of his novels as historically accurate, but there is certainly a good period feel in the novel, although I'm not sure I'd be hopping in the TARDIS just yet to pay a visit to William Harley if these novels are an example of an average day at the office for him!
It is a real page turner, but on reflection, the plot itself is almost a sideline to the characters and scenes of fighting, torture, etc going on around them! Plenty of blood is spilled during the novel, so not one for the faint hearted!
Forrester homself, alias historian Ian Mortimer, may rail against the description of his novels as historically accurate, but there is certainly a good period feel in the novel, although I'm not sure I'd be hopping in the TARDIS just yet to pay a visit to William Harley if these novels are an example of an average day at the office for him!
AT (1676 KP) rated Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan- Season 2 in TV
Nov 11, 2019
I was really looking forward to finally sitting down and watching season 2 of Jack Ryan. While I did enjoy it, I didn't like it quite as much as I liked the first season. I'm more sold on, "Jim from The Office," playing Jack Ryan, Jr. this season. Lol I also like Noomi Rapace, whom I loved in the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo film series. I liked the confusion and mystery surrounding season one. Season two did have that, but not in the same manner. This season, since we'd gotten to know a bit about the characters already, had a bit more focus on the emotional aspect of some of the things that the team went through. Overall, it was another good season of Jack Ryan. It just can't be directly compared to its first season.
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