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Edge of Darkness (2010)
Edge of Darkness (2010)
2010 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Mel Gibson is back on the screen in the winter thriller “Edge of Darkness”. Boston cop Thomas Craven (Gibson) is excited about his daughter Emma’s (Bojana Novakovic) visit home from her first post college employment position. Yet from the very start something seems wrong. Before dinner is even served a masked assailant kills Emma in cold blood on the porch of her father’s house leaving Officer Craven determined to figure out who killed his daughter and why which requires Craven to do this with or without the help of the law.

This is not a mystery but rather the story of a cop’s determination to avenge his daughter against impossible odds which are stacked with numerous shady characters that Craven must deal with to solve the murder, including senators, businessmen, and one title-less problem solver. Moreover, the flick walks directly into the muddy waters of morality, the law, business, and politics.

Tightly packed with characters, “Edge of Darkness” leaves little room for character development, thereby loosing much of the emotional response it seeks to create. However, the standout performance by Ray Winstone, who plays the insightful but questionably aligned Jedburgh, did lighten what otherwise is a dark and densely packed tale.
Further frustrating the viewer, the film’s ending is expected and not at all as dramatic as the buildup demanded. I left wondering why Gibson would remake the original award winning BBC-miniseries into a boring film that is ripe with undeveloped characters.

This thriller lacks the inventiveness or conclusion to make it worthy of Mel Gibson’s return. There were a couple of mildly tense moments and few well executed scenes but overall “Edge of Darkness” is really more of a substandard drama than an engaging thriller. The 117 minutes spent watching the “Edge of Darkness” was slightly enjoyable, but the story really is nothing new.
  
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Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Bates Motel in TV

Aug 6, 2019  
Bates Motel
Bates Motel
2013 | Drama
Acting (1 more)
Storylines
It's over (0 more)
Hated psycho but enjoyed this
Contains spoilers, click to show
I never saw the original psycho but i did watch the 90s remake which i found very boring, so i went into this not expecting much at all. However, after the first episode i was hooked and bingewatched all 5 seasons in about 3 weeks.
Incase you have never seen or heard of psycho, it's about the teenage life of a boy called Norman Bates, who suffers with blackouts where he becomes violent. Norman helps run a motel with his mother Norma (yes, that's right - Norman and Norma haha!!) Who is very protective of her son. Seasons 1-3 we get to know about the bates and why they are unlike any normal family, there's a few murders but we wonder was it Norman or not? Season 4 and 5 is where it gets very good and Normans shy side of his personality starts to completely diminish and his 'mother' personality takes over more frequently.
Throughout the seasons there wasn't really any main character i disliked, each one had a gripping story attached to them and I even started to like chick - the strange trailer guy who had beef with Dylans dad (and normas brother). The only part of the show i wasn't interested in was Dylans job in the weed selling business but that didn't last long thankfully.
Funny enough I even felt sorry for Norman but at the same time i wanted to smack some sense into Norma for protecting him right up until he killed her.
The final episode was very sad but at the same time you feel happy because Norman got his wish and no longer had to fight 'Mother'. I know many people think a season 6 was needed but i think season 5 ended perfectly. I feel lost now I'm finished though.
  
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Karen Gillan recommended Funny Games (2007) in Movies (curated)

 
Funny Games (2007)
Funny Games (2007)
2007 | Drama, Thriller
6.3 (8 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This is hard, because it could be many things. I mean, it could be Kubrick, it could be Haneke again. Do I need to mix it up a little bit? I feel like I’ve gone very serious. I think it’s either 2001: A Space Odyssey or Funny Games by Michael Haneke. What I like about Funny Games is a moment, actually, where all of it… OK, I think 2001 is a better movie. However, there’s a moment in Funny Games that’s genius, that I love, which is when he turns to the audience, and suddenly turns the whole movie into this kind of study, where we are accountable as an audience. Because we like the violence that’s happening in the movie, and he’s doing it for us, so suddenly we’re culpable. And I think that’s a really cool moment in film that I haven’t really seen other than that. Yeah, I thought that was really clever. Also, I’m talking the American remake, not the original, because he remade it shot-for-shot for the American audience, which is really interesting, because he made it in German and then it only had so much reach, and then was like, “I want to make this for a society where violence maybe is a little more glamorized.” And I’m not just saying that about Americans; I think we’re the same in the UK, where we really like watching that on-screen. It’s just a really interesting study into that, and so, for that reason, I’m going with that. And one time I hosted a screening where all of our friends came down and watched it, and I have never seen a more depressed group of people in my life, and it was a huge mistake. [laughs] Everyone left immediately. No one hung around after."

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Patrick Wilson recommended Fletch (1985) in Movies (curated)

 
Fletch (1985)
Fletch (1985)
1985 | Comedy

"When I think of five favorite films, it’s hard for me to put in, like, Citizen Kane, because while that movie and many classic movies are amazing, I couldn’t lie and say, “If it’s on, I’m going to watch it,” whereas a movie like Fletch, I’ll watch. So I have to consider that one of my five favorite films. What’s interesting about that movie to me is, aside from the ridiculousness of Chevy Chase and his comedy, the plot’s pretty interesting. You’re trying to figure out what’s happening. He’s trying to write this article, he uncovers this whole scam, this fraud, and he’s being set up for this murder, and it holds its own. You can do the wacky characters for Fletch Lives, but you don’t actually have as interesting a central plot. Maybe you’ve just already seen a lot of the jokes. And he’s very good at his job. He’s actually very good at his job; he’s not just an idiot. He can say all the crazy lines and be hilarious, but he’s good at his job, and I think that’s actually what’s kind of cool. And truthfully, I think that’s one of the reasons why – they’ve been trying to reboot, remake that movie forever, but all you’re going to be doing is trying to find somebody who can be as funny as Chevy Chase. But I think what actually makes the movie stand out to me is that, if you break it down, he’s actually legitimately trying to uncover this plot and move the story along. He’s a good detective! So Fletch is the kind of movie that, if it’s on, I’m going to watch it. I’m going to watch it, and I’m going to recite every line. [laughs] I have to keep that in there."

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Tom Ford recommended Little Women (2019) in Movies (curated)

 
Little Women (2019)
Little Women (2019)
2019 | Drama

"When I first heard that “Little Women” was being made as a film yet again, I thought to myself; why? I honestly never understand remakes, especially when there are great versions that have already been made. And in the case of “Little Women,” some very dull ones as well. The simple fact that Louisa May Alcott never actually wanted to write “Little Women” and that she and her editor thought it was flat at the time that it was published in 1868, has been obvious in several of the film and television versions of this story. However, when I read that Greta Gerwig had written a new screenplay based on the novel and that Gerwig was going to direct, my interest was piqued. Perhaps I had been wrong about the merits of a remake of “Little Women.” Perhaps the fact that an incredibly talented and wholly contemporary female writer-director had decided to take this on meant that I had overlooked something. And indeed I had. There is nothing dull or flat about Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women.” It is at once a classic and yet completely contemporary. It is lush and fresh. The exceptional screenplay, the brilliant casting, the nuanced and original performances, the sets, the costumes, the rhythm and pace are all exactly right. The film speaks to the struggles of women in our culture to break free from the conventions that in many ways still attempt to ground them. It is a coming of age tale, but it is not a coming-of-age tale mired in the mid-19th century; it is a coming-of-age tale for all time. After “Lady Bird” I was of course impressed with Ms. Gerwig’s directing, but with “Little Women” I’ve become jealous. Very jealous. Which for me is always the greatest compliment. Brava. "

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The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
2019 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
This retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield takes us from his birth, through his adolescence and adulthood. With the tempo set like a whirling dervish from the moment David (Dev Patel) takes us with him to witness his birth and travel along through his pivotal life moments as he tells his story.

We see his birth where his mother, Clara Copperfield (Morfydd Clark, playing a double role, later as Dora Spenlow) a slight, fantastical woman, and the steadfast housekeeper, Peggotty (Daisy May Cooper) go through the hectic confusion while people mill about, entering and exiting during the process of birth. His Aunt, Betsy (Tilda Swinton) goes about, adding to the calamity insistent that the child of her late brother would be a girl, who would carry her legacy as a Trotwood. Her eccentricity noted immediately as she storms out once learning the child is a boy.

The film progresses, with the same quick tempo, through his brief, idyllic childhood with his mother, then his trip to Yarmouth summering with Peggotty’s family where his imagination begins its bloom in the house that is a boat, by the sea. Once David returns home, he is informed that his mother had married, and his stepfather sends him to London. He is sent to live with Mr. & Mrs. Micawber (Peter Capaldi and Bronagh Gallagher) while he works at the bottle factory.

David’s life goes from famine to feast, bear to bull. However, he has learned resilience through his encounters with people of all classes and situations. As Copperfield makes his way through life, the tempo slows down, and the frenzy subsides.

Yes, it’s a remake, the film is beautifully made, the cast is an incredibly talented international group. Hugh Laurie and Tilda Swinton provide an endearing portrait of eclectic personalities. The film is just a charming and whimsical piece of storytelling.
  
    Where Are My Eggs?!

    Where Are My Eggs?!

    Games and Entertainment

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    "Where Are My Eggs?" is a remake of a classic handheld electronic game console "Elektronika IM-02"....