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Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Lost City of Z (2017) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018
Looking for a lost city
A british soldiers true story right before WW1 is sent to south america to map out the area. During his trip he learns of old civilizations and possibly a lost city with fame a fortune. He goes back home to fight in WW1 and is injured in a mustard gas attack and is told not to return in search of his lost city. His oldest son convinces him other wise and they return to try and find this lost city only to be never heard from again.
Considering it was based on a true story it wasn't bad but just was very very boring
Considering it was based on a true story it wasn't bad but just was very very boring
Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated Hugo (2011) in Movies
Aug 2, 2018
Asa Butterfield (3 more)
Baron cohen
It flows well and captures some of the magic of paris post ww1.
Nostalgia for the great age of train travel.
Beautiful sets, interesting and well developed characters and a nicely flowing plot line
I waited a long time to see this film as whenever it was on tv I missed it, however im not disappointed having now seen it from start to finish.
Its a beautiful storyline and the portrayal of all the characters were great. Set in Paris it captures a little of the magic and nostalgia of the time with references to life and society after ww1.
Asa was fantastic as Hugo and having seen him in Miss peregrines home for peculiar children he continues to grow as an actor. I would definitely see this film again and can be quite confident it'll appeal to audiences of all ages.
Its a beautiful storyline and the portrayal of all the characters were great. Set in Paris it captures a little of the magic and nostalgia of the time with references to life and society after ww1.
Asa was fantastic as Hugo and having seen him in Miss peregrines home for peculiar children he continues to grow as an actor. I would definitely see this film again and can be quite confident it'll appeal to audiences of all ages.
David McK (3251 KP) rated Wolverine: Origin II in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Poor old Wolvie: he never seems to catch a break.
Early 20th-century (pre WW1) set story about James Hewlitt, the man who would become Wolverine who -as this starts - is living wild in the woods.
When his family of wolves is slaughterd by a bear, however, and when he then kills said bear, this sets in motion a chain of events that sees Wolverine being hunted, eventually captured, put on show and experimented upon ...
Nice art, so-so story.
Early 20th-century (pre WW1) set story about James Hewlitt, the man who would become Wolverine who -as this starts - is living wild in the woods.
When his family of wolves is slaughterd by a bear, however, and when he then kills said bear, this sets in motion a chain of events that sees Wolverine being hunted, eventually captured, put on show and experimented upon ...
Nice art, so-so story.
David McK (3251 KP) rated Simulating War: Studying conflict through simulation games in Books
Jun 16, 2024
Well, that was something ... different.
This, essentially, is a scholarly thesis on the use of wargaming in an educational setting - like another reader, I found the first part (about the theory) interesting, the second part - containing example games - less so (perhaps because of my lack of real interest in anything beyond WW1 in the air).
Like being forced to study Shakespeare in school, I found this to somewhat suck the fun out of the activity in question.
Still, YMMV, as the saying goes ...
This, essentially, is a scholarly thesis on the use of wargaming in an educational setting - like another reader, I found the first part (about the theory) interesting, the second part - containing example games - less so (perhaps because of my lack of real interest in anything beyond WW1 in the air).
Like being forced to study Shakespeare in school, I found this to somewhat suck the fun out of the activity in question.
Still, YMMV, as the saying goes ...
If you want to know anything behind the modern Middle East, this is the book for you. It does such a good job finding the foundations for the current mess in that area. Most of it stems from the First World War, and this book does focus on T.E. Lawrence (AKA Lawrence of Arabia). Lawrence was one of the people responsible for leaders in the Middle East to join WW1, but then after the war, the UK, France, and the US backtracked and made a complete mess out of everything. Overall, a great book to get some background on the situation.
Jpb (34 KP) rated Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) in Movies
Feb 2, 2021
DC step it up
Besides the fact that this film is badly written, full of plot-holes, has watered-down characters (some of whom are more caricature than character), is full of questionable decisions, and somehow looks worse than the previous film--besides all of that--this film is possibly the most anti-feminist thing I've had to sit through in recent memory. Which I'm pretty sure is the opposite of what they are supposed to go for.
Wonder Woman seems less intelligent, morally dubious, and extremely reckless in this film. You also have a WW1 piolet get into a up to date fight and fly it, it just that so happens to be primed and ready to go.
Come on DC you can do better
Wonder Woman seems less intelligent, morally dubious, and extremely reckless in this film. You also have a WW1 piolet get into a up to date fight and fly it, it just that so happens to be primed and ready to go.
Come on DC you can do better
Lewis John Hatchett (23 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
May 16, 2019 (Updated May 16, 2019)
Unexpectedly Amazing
Went into the film only hearing mildly good things about the film but otherwise not much anticipation, came out feeling blown away. From a not so terrific idea for a story comes a film that explains the inspirations behind what some may consider the best literary series of all time.
Visually stunning for a film set in the late 1800s through WW1 and a soundtrack fitting for the film. Cast was chosen well and stand out performance from Nicholas Hoult in the titular role.
For a film that looked to be just about Tolkienand how he wrote The Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit series, it's so much more. If this doesn't at least receive some nominations for awards I would be shocked. If you have not seen it go see it before it's too late.
Visually stunning for a film set in the late 1800s through WW1 and a soundtrack fitting for the film. Cast was chosen well and stand out performance from Nicholas Hoult in the titular role.
For a film that looked to be just about Tolkienand how he wrote The Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit series, it's so much more. If this doesn't at least receive some nominations for awards I would be shocked. If you have not seen it go see it before it's too late.
Entry number 7 (of 9) in Donald Jacks Bartholomew Bandy series (Canadian First World War air ace), set - this time - in India, in the mid 1920s (1925, to be precise).
Having - inadvertently - previously saved the life of Prince Khoosie of the state of Jhamjarh, this novel starts with Bandy travelling to that continent to help them set up their own air force: an air force that is viewed with some misgivings by the (British) powers-that-be, who are convinced that it will be used against them and who refuse to heed any warnings about an uprising that is planned by another Indian state, even going so far as to take their side against Jhamjarh.
As things turn out, of course, the British government have it all backwards …
As I've said before, I found the quality of these novels to have declined in direct proportion to their settings: for my money, the earlier books (set during and just after WW1) are far superior to these later instalments. Having said that, I did find this one to be more enjoyable than its immediate predecessor, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a further insight into just how Bandy's First World War experiences have affected him
Having - inadvertently - previously saved the life of Prince Khoosie of the state of Jhamjarh, this novel starts with Bandy travelling to that continent to help them set up their own air force: an air force that is viewed with some misgivings by the (British) powers-that-be, who are convinced that it will be used against them and who refuse to heed any warnings about an uprising that is planned by another Indian state, even going so far as to take their side against Jhamjarh.
As things turn out, of course, the British government have it all backwards …
As I've said before, I found the quality of these novels to have declined in direct proportion to their settings: for my money, the earlier books (set during and just after WW1) are far superior to these later instalments. Having said that, I did find this one to be more enjoyable than its immediate predecessor, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a further insight into just how Bandy's First World War experiences have affected him
Ari Augustine (10 KP) rated The Deep in Books
May 4, 2020
Historical Fiction with a supernatural twist, I was drawn to The Deep like a moth to a flame. It's been awhile since I've read anything compelling enough to read in a single sitting, but Katsu deliveries such a horrific, heartpounding, and mind-spinning twist to a tale we're already so familiar with, that the story grips us from page one.
Annie Hebley is a nurse who survived the sinking of Titanic and has since confined herself to an mental institution. However, at the start of The Deep, she is hired to work on the Britannica to help the wounded WW1 soldiers. What I love about this story is how well it blends actual history in between these moments of atmospheric supernatural events. We meet characters who were once very much alive on a ship that actually existed. There's something eerie about tethering such a story in a historical way that connects to the reader, and this element of the story certainly spoke to me. But what I loved MOST was how unreliable Annie was as a character. Her point of view jumped between 1912 and 1916, blurring the lines of reality even further. Although the pacing wasn't always consistent, I love, love, LOVED Katsu's writing.
Overall, I'd recommend The Deep to anyone with a dash of patience, a dangerous curiosity for the supernatural, and, well, anyone who lives creepy stories rooted in history.
Annie Hebley is a nurse who survived the sinking of Titanic and has since confined herself to an mental institution. However, at the start of The Deep, she is hired to work on the Britannica to help the wounded WW1 soldiers. What I love about this story is how well it blends actual history in between these moments of atmospheric supernatural events. We meet characters who were once very much alive on a ship that actually existed. There's something eerie about tethering such a story in a historical way that connects to the reader, and this element of the story certainly spoke to me. But what I loved MOST was how unreliable Annie was as a character. Her point of view jumped between 1912 and 1916, blurring the lines of reality even further. Although the pacing wasn't always consistent, I love, love, LOVED Katsu's writing.
Overall, I'd recommend The Deep to anyone with a dash of patience, a dangerous curiosity for the supernatural, and, well, anyone who lives creepy stories rooted in history.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
We DO remember them.
“Trapped in a Charlie Chaplin World”. So says director Peter Jackson in a post-screening discussion with Mark Kermode, describing early black and white documentary footage. Whereas modern film runs at 24 fps, most of the old footage is hand cranked, with speeds as low as 12 fps which leads to its jerky nature. Jackson in this project with the Imperial War Museum took their WW1 footage and put it through a ‘pipeline process. This cleaned-up and restored the original footage; used clever computer interpolation to add in the missing 6 to 12 frames per second; and then colourised it.
The results are outstanding. Jackson wisely focuses the film on the specific slice of WW1 action from the trenches. And those anonymous figures become real, live, breathing humans on screen. It is obviously tragic that some (and as commented by Jackson, many in one scene) are not to be breathing humans for much longer.
These effects take a while to kick in. The early scenes in the documentary are in the original black and white, describing the recruitment process, and how many of the recruits were under-age. (To explain the varied comments in the film, they should have been 18, although officially shouldn’t have been sent overseas until 19).
It is when the troops arrive in France that we suddenly go from black-and-white to the fully restored and colourised footage, and it is a gasp-inducing moment.
Audio magic
All of the audio commentary is from original BBC recordings of war veterans recounting their actual experiences in the trench. Some sound like heroes; some sound like rogues; all came out changed men. Supporting music of WW1 ditties, including the incredibly rude “Mademoiselle from Armentières” over the end credits, is provided by Plan 9.
But equally impressive is the dubbing of the characters onscreen. Jackson employed forensic lip-readers to determine what the soldiers on-screen were saying, and reproduced the speech using appropriate regional accents for the regiments concerned. Jackson also recounts how the words associated with a “pep-talk” speech to troops by an officer he found on an original slip of paper within the regimental records: outstanding. Added sound effects include real-life shelling by the New Zealand army. It all adds to the overall atmosphere of the film.
3D = less
The film itself is a masterpiece of technical innovation that will change in the future the way in which we should be able to see this sort of early film footage forever. As a documentary it’s near-perfection. But if I have a criticism of the cinema showing I attended it is that the 3D tended to detract rather than add to the film. Perhaps this is just my eyesight, but 3D always tends to make images slightly more blurry. Where (like “Gravity”) there are great 3D effects to showcase, it’s worth the slight negative to get the massive positive. But here, there was no such benefit: 2D would have been better. For those in the UK (and possibly through other broadcasters worldwide) the film is being shown on BBC2 tonight (11/11/18) at 9:30: I will be watching it again to compare and contrast.
Final Thoughts
Jackson dedicated the film to his grandfather. And almost all of us Brits will have relatives affected by this “war to end all wars”. In my case, my grandfather was shot and severely wounded at Leuze Wood on the Somme, lying in the mud for four days and four nights before being recovered… by the Germans! Fortunately he was well-treated and, although dying young, recovered enough to father my father – else I wouldn’t be here today writing this. On this Rememberance Sunday, 100 years on, it is a time for us to truly remember the sacrifice these men and boys gave to what, all in the film agree, was a pretty obstinate and pointless conflict.
I’ll finish the review by reproducing one of the war poems of my wife’s Uncle Ivor (available in a collection here), written on 11/11/18 a hundred years ago:
Peace
At last O Lord the Day has come,
And hushed is now the noise of guns.
Peace is proclaimed over land and sea,
Our heartfelt thanks we give to Thee.
I thank thee Father for Thy care,
That thou hasn’t answered all my prayers.
This day I see in manhood’s strength,
The Peace we longed for, come at length.
O may my future actions be,
Worthy of all Thy care to me.
Let me forget not Thy Great Love,
Remembering chums who live Above.
I.G.H. 11/11/1918, France.
The results are outstanding. Jackson wisely focuses the film on the specific slice of WW1 action from the trenches. And those anonymous figures become real, live, breathing humans on screen. It is obviously tragic that some (and as commented by Jackson, many in one scene) are not to be breathing humans for much longer.
These effects take a while to kick in. The early scenes in the documentary are in the original black and white, describing the recruitment process, and how many of the recruits were under-age. (To explain the varied comments in the film, they should have been 18, although officially shouldn’t have been sent overseas until 19).
It is when the troops arrive in France that we suddenly go from black-and-white to the fully restored and colourised footage, and it is a gasp-inducing moment.
Audio magic
All of the audio commentary is from original BBC recordings of war veterans recounting their actual experiences in the trench. Some sound like heroes; some sound like rogues; all came out changed men. Supporting music of WW1 ditties, including the incredibly rude “Mademoiselle from Armentières” over the end credits, is provided by Plan 9.
But equally impressive is the dubbing of the characters onscreen. Jackson employed forensic lip-readers to determine what the soldiers on-screen were saying, and reproduced the speech using appropriate regional accents for the regiments concerned. Jackson also recounts how the words associated with a “pep-talk” speech to troops by an officer he found on an original slip of paper within the regimental records: outstanding. Added sound effects include real-life shelling by the New Zealand army. It all adds to the overall atmosphere of the film.
3D = less
The film itself is a masterpiece of technical innovation that will change in the future the way in which we should be able to see this sort of early film footage forever. As a documentary it’s near-perfection. But if I have a criticism of the cinema showing I attended it is that the 3D tended to detract rather than add to the film. Perhaps this is just my eyesight, but 3D always tends to make images slightly more blurry. Where (like “Gravity”) there are great 3D effects to showcase, it’s worth the slight negative to get the massive positive. But here, there was no such benefit: 2D would have been better. For those in the UK (and possibly through other broadcasters worldwide) the film is being shown on BBC2 tonight (11/11/18) at 9:30: I will be watching it again to compare and contrast.
Final Thoughts
Jackson dedicated the film to his grandfather. And almost all of us Brits will have relatives affected by this “war to end all wars”. In my case, my grandfather was shot and severely wounded at Leuze Wood on the Somme, lying in the mud for four days and four nights before being recovered… by the Germans! Fortunately he was well-treated and, although dying young, recovered enough to father my father – else I wouldn’t be here today writing this. On this Rememberance Sunday, 100 years on, it is a time for us to truly remember the sacrifice these men and boys gave to what, all in the film agree, was a pretty obstinate and pointless conflict.
I’ll finish the review by reproducing one of the war poems of my wife’s Uncle Ivor (available in a collection here), written on 11/11/18 a hundred years ago:
Peace
At last O Lord the Day has come,
And hushed is now the noise of guns.
Peace is proclaimed over land and sea,
Our heartfelt thanks we give to Thee.
I thank thee Father for Thy care,
That thou hasn’t answered all my prayers.
This day I see in manhood’s strength,
The Peace we longed for, come at length.
O may my future actions be,
Worthy of all Thy care to me.
Let me forget not Thy Great Love,
Remembering chums who live Above.
I.G.H. 11/11/1918, France.