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David McK (3245 KP) rated V for Vendetta (2005) in Movies
Oct 23, 2022
Remember, remember, the fifth of November ...
2005 adaptation of the 1980's Alan Moore classic, set in a near-future dystopian Britain where the populous is afraid of the (fascist) government, and where a vigilant known only as V uses terrorist tactics to rebel against said government and slowly falls for a young reporter named Evie
The story, then, has more than a hint of The Phantom of the Opera about it - both involve masked figures who live in the shadowy underworld, both involve melodrama and a star-crossed love story - with Hugo Weaving never once showing his face through the entire runtime, but still - impressively - able to convey his emotions through his acting.
The story, then, has more than a hint of The Phantom of the Opera about it - both involve masked figures who live in the shadowy underworld, both involve melodrama and a star-crossed love story - with Hugo Weaving never once showing his face through the entire runtime, but still - impressively - able to convey his emotions through his acting.
David McK (3245 KP) rated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) in Movies
Dec 18, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2020)
"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.
Pursued by the Enpire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home abord her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy ..."
So reads the opening crawl to the first Star Wars film (otherwise known as "Episode IV: A New Hope"), with this opening crawl becoming a feature of all the Star Wars films to date.
That is, until this one - the first to NOT have an opening crawl, and the first to NOT focus on any of the Skywalkers. Instead, this film deals with what was originally only just described in that crawl; by the mission to steal those Death Star plans and, as such, is the first completely self-contained and stand-alone Star Wars film.
I'd heard this described as a war movie, and that's probably a pretty fair comparison - this is more serious than the other six (especially the prequel Trilogy), maybe a bit darker in places, with the Rebel Alliance not afraid of getting their hands dirty and not quite the idealists they were originally portrayed as.
As this is back in galactic Civil War territory, we also have the return of some of the original villains of the saga - it's no secret that Darth Vader casts a shadow over the film (while not being the main villain of it), with an extended sequence towards the end showing just why he was so feared, and probably destined to become - like the 3-way Qui-Gonn Jinn/Kenobi/Maul fight in 'The Phantom Menace', or Vader vs Luke in 'The Empire Strikes back' - one of the most talked about scenes in the entire saga.
(As an aside, and talking of scenes: yes, there are scenes shown in the trailers that don't make it to the final cut, but since I managed to avoid (most of) those trailers, I can't really comment on that.)
Maybe a tad slow in getting started, but the bombastic final act more than makes up for it!
Pursued by the Enpire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home abord her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy ..."
So reads the opening crawl to the first Star Wars film (otherwise known as "Episode IV: A New Hope"), with this opening crawl becoming a feature of all the Star Wars films to date.
That is, until this one - the first to NOT have an opening crawl, and the first to NOT focus on any of the Skywalkers. Instead, this film deals with what was originally only just described in that crawl; by the mission to steal those Death Star plans and, as such, is the first completely self-contained and stand-alone Star Wars film.
I'd heard this described as a war movie, and that's probably a pretty fair comparison - this is more serious than the other six (especially the prequel Trilogy), maybe a bit darker in places, with the Rebel Alliance not afraid of getting their hands dirty and not quite the idealists they were originally portrayed as.
As this is back in galactic Civil War territory, we also have the return of some of the original villains of the saga - it's no secret that Darth Vader casts a shadow over the film (while not being the main villain of it), with an extended sequence towards the end showing just why he was so feared, and probably destined to become - like the 3-way Qui-Gonn Jinn/Kenobi/Maul fight in 'The Phantom Menace', or Vader vs Luke in 'The Empire Strikes back' - one of the most talked about scenes in the entire saga.
(As an aside, and talking of scenes: yes, there are scenes shown in the trailers that don't make it to the final cut, but since I managed to avoid (most of) those trailers, I can't really comment on that.)
Maybe a tad slow in getting started, but the bombastic final act more than makes up for it!
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Annie on My Mind in Books
Dec 28, 2017
Banned Coming of Age Story
I love being a rebel and reading books that have been banned before. This book showed a lesbian relationship in a positive light which is what earned it the ban.
Nancy Garden did a magnificent job of capturing the angst of first love. This in itself can be hard but add to the mix it being love that is scorned by society and you have a new level of coming of age story. This book was originally published in 1992 which can be picked up from some of the descriptions, none the less, the basis of the story is still relevant today. This story will make you cheer, cry, and want to hit someone with anger. It is a fantastic book.
Nancy Garden did a magnificent job of capturing the angst of first love. This in itself can be hard but add to the mix it being love that is scorned by society and you have a new level of coming of age story. This book was originally published in 1992 which can be picked up from some of the descriptions, none the less, the basis of the story is still relevant today. This story will make you cheer, cry, and want to hit someone with anger. It is a fantastic book.
Ross (3282 KP) rated The Walking Dead - Season 8 in TV
Apr 18, 2018
By far the worst series yet
The latest series of the zombie thriller follows on from series 7, with Negan still in power and demanding tribute from the communities. Though those communities are now starting to rebel and fight back. The series is something of a roller coaster with ups and downs, but few twists or turns. The action plods along for the most part and only 4 or 5 episodes really excite or add much to the storyline. I think this series has stuck closer to the comics than previous ones, though the comics did not drag the action out as long.
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Star Wars: Rebellion in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Star Wars: Rebellion review: A fully operational 4-hour board game
Looking at the box for Star Wars: Rebellion, the massive new two-to-four-player galactic board game from Fantasy Flight, I had only one thought: "Look at the size of that thing!"
Loosely based on the 1998 video game of the same name, the board game version of Rebellion is ludicrously outsized. The galaxy, too large to fit on a single game board, here sprawls across two. Rebel and Imperial forces aren't represented by cardboard but by 153 plastic miniatures—including three Death Stars and two Super Star Destroyers.
Critic: Nate Anderson
Read the full review here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/star-wars-rebellion-review-a-fully-operational-4-hour-board-game/
Loosely based on the 1998 video game of the same name, the board game version of Rebellion is ludicrously outsized. The galaxy, too large to fit on a single game board, here sprawls across two. Rebel and Imperial forces aren't represented by cardboard but by 153 plastic miniatures—including three Death Stars and two Super Star Destroyers.
Critic: Nate Anderson
Read the full review here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/star-wars-rebellion-review-a-fully-operational-4-hour-board-game/
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Funny Cow (2017) in Movies
Nov 6, 2019
Another bleak British belter
British cinema tends to be a)about working class people and b) be very miserable. I had a group of American friends staying over and shared with then a selection of British films. They all admitted to feeling suicidal at the end of it.
Some people will watch Funny Cow and expect a rip roaring comedy about a female stand up comedian. That it is not. This is the story of a working class rebel fighting domestic violence and oppression by seeing the funny side. It is brave and probably be very misunderstood by most. For me it was a poignant reminder of the fight some people have to be heard. A brave and strong film.
Some people will watch Funny Cow and expect a rip roaring comedy about a female stand up comedian. That it is not. This is the story of a working class rebel fighting domestic violence and oppression by seeing the funny side. It is brave and probably be very misunderstood by most. For me it was a poignant reminder of the fight some people have to be heard. A brave and strong film.
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated The Hustle (2019) in Movies
Jun 30, 2020
I can not state enough that you must harbor expectations for films appropriately. If you go to see a comedy with Rebel Wilson in it, there should be a certain type of film you should expect. This movie fulfills that expectation.
Anne Hathaway performs well in a humorous role for her while feeding off of the hilarious Wilson. The name of the game is Con and the mission is bigger is better.
I don't want to give too much away as there are a few turns (believe it or not) that might catch you off guard. Give it a go if you're looking for a giggle or even if you want to have a movie going in the background while you're doing something else.
Anne Hathaway performs well in a humorous role for her while feeding off of the hilarious Wilson. The name of the game is Con and the mission is bigger is better.
I don't want to give too much away as there are a few turns (believe it or not) that might catch you off guard. Give it a go if you're looking for a giggle or even if you want to have a movie going in the background while you're doing something else.
Elif Shafak recommended The Arcades Project in Books (curated)
Maddie (37 KP) rated An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors in Books
Nov 30, 2017
Thoughtful Characters (2 more)
Unique World
Intelligent Prose
Thoroughly enjoyable and intelligent
I had a sudden craving for sci-fi/fantasy one day and stumbled across this book just days after it had been released. The lead character was a strong, boundary-defying female with her own flaws to overcome - and she was handled very well in terms of development and realistic emotion.
The writing was wonderful, I was sucked in and finished the book in less than a few days (with my busy schedule, that really is a feat!). The villains were not so easy to identify, making the tale of political intrigue that much more interesting.
If you're looking for a story of magic and a rebel heroine, then look no further. I cannot wait for the sequel!
The writing was wonderful, I was sucked in and finished the book in less than a few days (with my busy schedule, that really is a feat!). The villains were not so easy to identify, making the tale of political intrigue that much more interesting.
If you're looking for a story of magic and a rebel heroine, then look no further. I cannot wait for the sequel!
David McK (3245 KP) rated Star Wars, Vol. 3: Rebel Jail in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Vol 3 in Marvel's new 'main' Star Wars stories (as opposed to those headlined by a single character), which starts with an James Bond style story set on Coruscant before heading back to the main characters of Han, Luke and Leia, who are off on separate missions - Han and Luke to get supplies for the Rebellion (capital 'R'), while Leia (and Sana) transport a high-value prisoner to the maximum security Rebel Jail of the title.
As this is set between Ep IV and V, we know that nothing major is going to happen to any of the main characters (Luke, Leia, Han), although this does - fianlly - provide a reason why Leia calls Hans a 'Scruffy Nerf-herder' in The Empire Strikes Back
In short: not bad, but not brilliant either.
As this is set between Ep IV and V, we know that nothing major is going to happen to any of the main characters (Luke, Leia, Han), although this does - fianlly - provide a reason why Leia calls Hans a 'Scruffy Nerf-herder' in The Empire Strikes Back
In short: not bad, but not brilliant either.