Search
Search results
David McK (3233 KP) rated The Royalist (William Falkland #1) in Books
Apr 18, 2022
Set during the period of the English Civil Wars, I have to say that I found this to be rather unusual in that it is not about (per se) the wars themselves: rather, it is set in the New Model Army camp over a winter period, between hostilities, with William Falkland (the Royalist of the title) plucked from his prison cell by none other than Oliver Cromwell himself and sent to investigate reports of suicides/disturbances in the camp.
Reading very much like a ECW version of a whodunnit, with the author - in the afterword - not at all shy to point out the influences of the hard-boiled detective hero/film noir of the 40s (think Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler) on this work.
Reading very much like a ECW version of a whodunnit, with the author - in the afterword - not at all shy to point out the influences of the hard-boiled detective hero/film noir of the 40s (think Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler) on this work.
Michael Phillips recommended Taxi Driver (1976) in Movies (curated)
Paul Morrissey recommended The Thief of Bagdad (1940) in Movies (curated)
Sasha Grey recommended Pierrot le fou (1965) in Movies (curated)
Michael Korda recommended Sweet Smell of Success (1957) in Movies (curated)
Ben Wheatley recommended Blade Runner (1982) in Movies (curated)
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Mummy (1999) in Movies
Mar 20, 2018
This version of The Mummy is one of my favorite films. I love period films with archaeology/adventure in them, so this movie was perfect for me. Brendan Fraser is so amusing and does a great job as O'Connell, and I love Rachel Weisz as Evie. Yes, this film was based off of the original 'The Mummy' with Boris Karloff, but it didn't bother me at all. Watching it now, some of the special effects look pretty lame. I wish they would remaster and fix the CGI in this film and the Mummy Returns, because it's somewhat cringe-worthy. I still watch this movie all the time, and I'll continue to re-watch it over and over again.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018
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.
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.
Reggie Watts recommended Brazil (1985) in Movies (curated)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Little Women (2019) in Movies
Feb 5, 2020
Great performances let down by the pace
I read Little Women quite a few years ago, and other than remembering the basic plot details, I went into this film with barely any preconceptions. And for the most part, it does quite well.
This film is all about the performances. I've always liked Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet, I think they're both charismatic and fantastic actors and any time these two are on screen in this film (either together or separately), it really is marvellous to watch. Throwing in a great turn from Florence Pugh and some wonderful support from Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep and (a sadly forgettable) Emma Watson, the acting in this is pretty stellar
The major problem however is the pacing. The plot is interesting, but it's let down by the plodding dreadfully slow pace and a just over 2 hour film feels like a lifetime. It's such a shame, as had this been sped up a little or had a little of the runtime shaved off, it'd be a truly fantastic period drama.
This film is all about the performances. I've always liked Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet, I think they're both charismatic and fantastic actors and any time these two are on screen in this film (either together or separately), it really is marvellous to watch. Throwing in a great turn from Florence Pugh and some wonderful support from Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep and (a sadly forgettable) Emma Watson, the acting in this is pretty stellar
The major problem however is the pacing. The plot is interesting, but it's let down by the plodding dreadfully slow pace and a just over 2 hour film feels like a lifetime. It's such a shame, as had this been sped up a little or had a little of the runtime shaved off, it'd be a truly fantastic period drama.