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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Word Is Murder in Books
Mar 21, 2020
A good old fashioned murder mystery brought up to speed for the modern-day.
I listened to the audiobook read by Rory Kinnear who had a bit of an uperty sounding accent to me but it worked well for the character of the author who ends up trailing ex DI Hawthorne as he investigates a murder with mysterious circumstances. It's a cleverly written book.
The characters are on the grating side but it's embraced in the book and I think there is a lot of potential moving forward for this series to get into the details of the gruff no-nonsense Hawthorne. There's plenty to think about in this captivating mystery.
I listened to the audiobook read by Rory Kinnear who had a bit of an uperty sounding accent to me but it worked well for the character of the author who ends up trailing ex DI Hawthorne as he investigates a murder with mysterious circumstances. It's a cleverly written book.
The characters are on the grating side but it's embraced in the book and I think there is a lot of potential moving forward for this series to get into the details of the gruff no-nonsense Hawthorne. There's plenty to think about in this captivating mystery.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Men (2022) (2022) in Movies
Jul 3, 2022
Men... am I right?
Harper takes some time away in the country, following the death of her husband. But the break isn't quite as restful as she'd hoped.
I had a lot of feelings about Men. The trouble was, every time I started thinking about it, my brain spiralled off into many debates.
With Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, I was fairly certain that the performances would be solid. They didn't disappoint. Kinnear in particular showed immense dedication to his roles, especially considering some of the things he was having to do. But, despite the superb acting, the characters weren't all that easy to get along with... and yes, that's sort of the point, but never mind.
There seems to be a jumble of genres happening, the trailers for the film show some of its creepy horror-esque moments, and the dramatic portion is represented. In the middle of the film, where Harper suffers from phone issues, we get an odd flash of science fiction... it doesn't fit with the rest of the film, it could easily have been removed with no consequences and left us with something much more consistent.
According to writer and director, Alex Garland, the idea of Men is whatever the viewer takes away from it. I've heard plenty of opinions about the meaning behind the film, though mainly from a small demographic.
To me, it felt like a dive into the mind of a woman who had suffered psychological abuse, and how she deals with that trauma. There are certainly a lot of ways this could be taken, and Men could have been a bold statement, but not committing to an explanation was a bit of a cop out.
While I didn't dislike the experience of watching it on the big screen, I don't need to see it again. Ultimately, the inconsistencies left me wanting something more.
Originally posted on: emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2022/07/men-movie-review.html
Harper takes some time away in the country, following the death of her husband. But the break isn't quite as restful as she'd hoped.
I had a lot of feelings about Men. The trouble was, every time I started thinking about it, my brain spiralled off into many debates.
With Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, I was fairly certain that the performances would be solid. They didn't disappoint. Kinnear in particular showed immense dedication to his roles, especially considering some of the things he was having to do. But, despite the superb acting, the characters weren't all that easy to get along with... and yes, that's sort of the point, but never mind.
There seems to be a jumble of genres happening, the trailers for the film show some of its creepy horror-esque moments, and the dramatic portion is represented. In the middle of the film, where Harper suffers from phone issues, we get an odd flash of science fiction... it doesn't fit with the rest of the film, it could easily have been removed with no consequences and left us with something much more consistent.
According to writer and director, Alex Garland, the idea of Men is whatever the viewer takes away from it. I've heard plenty of opinions about the meaning behind the film, though mainly from a small demographic.
To me, it felt like a dive into the mind of a woman who had suffered psychological abuse, and how she deals with that trauma. There are certainly a lot of ways this could be taken, and Men could have been a bold statement, but not committing to an explanation was a bit of a cop out.
While I didn't dislike the experience of watching it on the big screen, I don't need to see it again. Ultimately, the inconsistencies left me wanting something more.
Originally posted on: emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2022/07/men-movie-review.html
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019) in Movies
Jan 11, 2019
A painful watch
I have to admit, I’m a little undecided about this. On one hand I found it informative and amusing, but on the other I found it such a difficult and painful thing to watch.
The performances in this were great, especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Rory Kinnear. There were some hilarious takes on some of the politicians, it didn’t shy away from allowing them to come across as conceited a-holes, and the impression of Boris Johnson wasmost notable. Yes it was probably verging on parody, but it brought some much needed humour to the film. It’s well shot and scripted, and it is undoubtedly very smart and has obviously picked up a few pointers from the likes of House of Cards. It was interesting to see the story of someone I’ve never even heard of (politics isn’t my strong point I’ll admit) and to see what happened in the background of Brexit - or at least this film’s version of events... I am concerned that this has tried to summarise Brexit in the space over 2 hours and doesn’t seem to include as much detail as it should.
My main issue with this though is that as a Remainer, this is a painful thing to watch. Considering Brexit is still very much ongoing and fresh for anyone in the UK, it raises the question of whether we really needed to see this film right now. It’s not exactly putting our minds at ease, and instead seems to be raising more questions and causing more ructions. But then conversely, I can see the reasons why it would be the perfect time to release this, because we haven’t even left yet. It’s very divisive, and I honestly can’t quite decide exactly how I feel about this. It’s definitely informative and well made, just very difficult to swallow.
The performances in this were great, especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Rory Kinnear. There were some hilarious takes on some of the politicians, it didn’t shy away from allowing them to come across as conceited a-holes, and the impression of Boris Johnson wasmost notable. Yes it was probably verging on parody, but it brought some much needed humour to the film. It’s well shot and scripted, and it is undoubtedly very smart and has obviously picked up a few pointers from the likes of House of Cards. It was interesting to see the story of someone I’ve never even heard of (politics isn’t my strong point I’ll admit) and to see what happened in the background of Brexit - or at least this film’s version of events... I am concerned that this has tried to summarise Brexit in the space over 2 hours and doesn’t seem to include as much detail as it should.
My main issue with this though is that as a Remainer, this is a painful thing to watch. Considering Brexit is still very much ongoing and fresh for anyone in the UK, it raises the question of whether we really needed to see this film right now. It’s not exactly putting our minds at ease, and instead seems to be raising more questions and causing more ructions. But then conversely, I can see the reasons why it would be the perfect time to release this, because we haven’t even left yet. It’s very divisive, and I honestly can’t quite decide exactly how I feel about this. It’s definitely informative and well made, just very difficult to swallow.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated No Time to Die (2021) in Movies
Oct 16, 2021
Works well enough - despite a weak villain
The Daniel Craig James Bond films are a different breed of Bond films. Instead of each one being a “one-off, fun romp” filled with Gadgets, Villains, Beautiful Ladies and Wild Stunts, the 5 films of the “Daniel Craig era” of Bond films was something else…gritty, serious and serialized, each film standing on it’s own but also building on the previous one to tell one long story.
It will be up to the individual to decide whether this type of storytelling works for Bond.
For me, it does.
Picking up where SPECTRE left off, NO TIME TO DIE follows Bond and his lady love from that film, Madeliene (Lea Seydoux) as they are followed and threatened by agents from SPECTRE. After an action-packed opening, Bond heads into retirement only to be drawn back in.
Director Cary Fukunaga (BEASTS OF NO NATION) crafts a satisfying, if somewhat too long and dragged out, finale for Craig as Bond battles villains joined by old friends (and fiends) along the way (as a bit of a final Curtain Call for them all), meets some new allies (and adversaries) all while dealing with his own feelings.
And it is this part of the film that “Bond purists” will be the most annoyed about. JAMES BOND HAS FEELINGS! He isn’t just a “Super-Spy” with a quip and a gadget, Fukunaga and perennial Bond writers Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (along with Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) craft a Bond that has cracks in his veneer that show doubts and fears underneath.
This rounding out of the character works for me in this film, especially if you put this film in the context of all 5 Craig Bond films. It is a natural growth for the character and one that Craig handles well.
As for the performances, regular Bond players Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomi Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q), Rory Kinnear (Tanner) and Jeffrey Wright (CIA Agent Felix Leiter) all have a moment (or 2) to shine and they show up on the screen like old friends showing up at a going away party. Christoph Walz also reprises his role of Blofeld from SPECTRE (it’s not a spoiler, it’s in the trailers) and it was good to see Blofeld and Bond play chess one last time and Seydoux’s performance as Bond’s “lady love” is “good enough”.
But it is the newcomers to this story that stand out to me - with one strong exception. Lashana Lynch (as a fellow 00 agent) and Billy Magnussen both shine in this film as do Ana de Armas as another femme that Bond encounters - this is the 3rd strong performance I’ve seen from the former model (following strong turns in BLADE RUNNER 2049 and opposite Craig in KNIVES OUT) and am eagerly awaiting what she will do next.
Only Rami Malek as villain Safin fails to be interesting and that’s where this film falls down. Safin’s encounters with Bond bring the energy and excitement down, thanks to Malek’s “underplaying” of a role that should have been overplayed. His performance just doesn’t work.
But, this is a Bond film, so the acting and plot always take a backseat to the action - and the action in this film is better than average, but not A-M-A-Z-I-N-G as one expects from Bond films. Couple that with Malek’s underwhelming performance and this Bond film will leave audiences with an unfulfilled feeling.
Unless, you are invested in the journey that Craig has taken Bond on - and the culmination of that journey to conclude this film. If you are invested in that, this film work. If you are not, it will not.
It worked for me.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
It will be up to the individual to decide whether this type of storytelling works for Bond.
For me, it does.
Picking up where SPECTRE left off, NO TIME TO DIE follows Bond and his lady love from that film, Madeliene (Lea Seydoux) as they are followed and threatened by agents from SPECTRE. After an action-packed opening, Bond heads into retirement only to be drawn back in.
Director Cary Fukunaga (BEASTS OF NO NATION) crafts a satisfying, if somewhat too long and dragged out, finale for Craig as Bond battles villains joined by old friends (and fiends) along the way (as a bit of a final Curtain Call for them all), meets some new allies (and adversaries) all while dealing with his own feelings.
And it is this part of the film that “Bond purists” will be the most annoyed about. JAMES BOND HAS FEELINGS! He isn’t just a “Super-Spy” with a quip and a gadget, Fukunaga and perennial Bond writers Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (along with Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) craft a Bond that has cracks in his veneer that show doubts and fears underneath.
This rounding out of the character works for me in this film, especially if you put this film in the context of all 5 Craig Bond films. It is a natural growth for the character and one that Craig handles well.
As for the performances, regular Bond players Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomi Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q), Rory Kinnear (Tanner) and Jeffrey Wright (CIA Agent Felix Leiter) all have a moment (or 2) to shine and they show up on the screen like old friends showing up at a going away party. Christoph Walz also reprises his role of Blofeld from SPECTRE (it’s not a spoiler, it’s in the trailers) and it was good to see Blofeld and Bond play chess one last time and Seydoux’s performance as Bond’s “lady love” is “good enough”.
But it is the newcomers to this story that stand out to me - with one strong exception. Lashana Lynch (as a fellow 00 agent) and Billy Magnussen both shine in this film as do Ana de Armas as another femme that Bond encounters - this is the 3rd strong performance I’ve seen from the former model (following strong turns in BLADE RUNNER 2049 and opposite Craig in KNIVES OUT) and am eagerly awaiting what she will do next.
Only Rami Malek as villain Safin fails to be interesting and that’s where this film falls down. Safin’s encounters with Bond bring the energy and excitement down, thanks to Malek’s “underplaying” of a role that should have been overplayed. His performance just doesn’t work.
But, this is a Bond film, so the acting and plot always take a backseat to the action - and the action in this film is better than average, but not A-M-A-Z-I-N-G as one expects from Bond films. Couple that with Malek’s underwhelming performance and this Bond film will leave audiences with an unfulfilled feeling.
Unless, you are invested in the journey that Craig has taken Bond on - and the culmination of that journey to conclude this film. If you are invested in that, this film work. If you are not, it will not.
It worked for me.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)