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Awix (3310 KP) rated Jabberwocky (1977) in Movies

Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)

Jabberwocky (1977)

1977 | Action, Comedy

6.6

(5 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Little bit Slithy, little bit Frabjous

Oddball comedy-drama that sets the tone for much of Terry Gilliam's career by being visually ravishing but a bit all-over-the-place story-wise. Gilliam's background at the time was in TV comedy, which may explain why so many well-known TV comics turn up in the film - apart from Michael Palin, there's Warren Clarke, Harry H Corbett, John le Mesurier, and so on.

The thing is that this isn't actually very funny - there are the seeds of some good jokes here, but the fact the movie has been filmed and edited in the style of an art-house historical drama kills most of them dead. Still, the medieval period has seldom been brought to the screen with such an authentic sense of filth, squalour, and misery, and the monster suit is pretty good. That said, if you're not into absurd comedy, Dragonslayer (1981) tells a very similar story in a more accessible style.

(And I have to say I'm astounded a film so focused on gore and bodily functions has only got a PG certificate. Caveat emptor.)

Kudos

SiriusXM Radio

Music and Entertainment

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App

Hear the best SiriusXM has to offer, anywhere life takes you, with the SiriusXM app! Listen to...

James Koppert (2698 KP) rated This Is England (2007) in Movies

Dec 3, 2019 (Updated Dec 3, 2019)

This Is England (2007)

2007 | International, Drama

7.8

(10 Ratings)

Movie Rating

A British film that actually got recognition (0 more)

Poor Milky (0 more)

British classic

Unless it's a comedy, British films often don't get the recognition they deserve. This did. Friends in the State's were messeging me saying they have seen it.

The unscripted acting was warm when it needed to be and tense when it needed to be. It shine a light on Thatcher's Britain, divided and angry, a but like today. It's not always easy to watch but at the same time there is recognition of anyone who lived through this period.

So good it spawned a TV series, This Is England is one of Britain's best.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974) in Movies

Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)

Somewhat atypical late-period Hammer horror; feels a bit like a pilot for a TV show but is none the worse for that. Dope-smoking, katana-swinging action man Kronos does battle with a vampire that feeds off youth itself.

Works hard to avoid the usual clichés, with some great moments of black comedy along the way. References to other Hammer films from around the same time will please the faithful. Action choreography by doyen of swordmasters William Hobbs means that the fight sequences (especially the climactic duel) are considerably better than you'd expect from such a low-budget movie. Should have been the start of a series, but Hammer had run out of money.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies

Feb 12, 2018

Suburbicon (2017)

2017 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

6.0

(18 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Period-set black comedy-thriller with Matt Damon as a pillar of the titular planned community, struggling to recover from the death of his wife in a burglary-gone-wrong. (Or is he...?) Actually based on a script set aside by the Coen brothers decades ago; it's tempting but fruitless to speculate as to how much of their work remains.

Quite well directed by Clooney, and the plotting is very smart, but a subplot about toxic racism feels intrusive and disconnected from the rest of the film - as a result what could have been a clever and understated film just feels like it's indulging in clumsy virtue-signalling. Would have been much better without the preachiness.

Kudos

Rime

Dante Alighieri, Anthony Mortimer and J.G. Nichols

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Book

This collection of Dante Alighieri's "Canzoniere", translated for the first time in its entirety...

Death on the Installment Plan

Louis-Ferdinand Celine

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Book

Death on the Installment Plan is a companion volume to Louis-Ferdinand Céline's earlier novel,...

Dana (24 KP) rated Inferno (The Divine Comedy, #1) in Books

Mar 23, 2018

I have been wanting to read the Divine Comedy for a while now, especially since it is constantly referenced in other works. I thought it was cool how Dante brought in so many well-known political, religious, and just generally famous people then showed them all suffering in Hell. Yes, there was a lot of humor strewn throughout this epic poem, but there were obviously a lot of serious moments that made you have to think. Even if you are not religious, this is a very interesting thing to pick up because of its historical connections as well as being an insight into the minds of some more religious figureheads during this time period. Overall, this was a pretty cool read and I am excited to read the other two.