Search
Search results
Awix (3310 KP) rated Little Women (2019) in Movies
Jan 7, 2020
Not my usual kind of movie, but I turn up for anything with Greta Gerwig or Florence Pugh involved in it. Happily this proved not to be the leaden piece of post-MeToo agitprop some of the advertising suggested, but a sensitive and subtle adaptation of a classic piece of literature (it says here). During and after the American Civil War, four sisters (Meg, Amy, Little Jo and Hoss) grow up and come of age, under the steely gaze of their Aunt Ben Cartwright (Meryl Streep). (I may be getting this mixed up with something else.)
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
Strong performances, especially from Ronan and Pugh, and a generally classy movie in most respects. This is mainly due to a very smart script and evocative direction, both from Gerwig, which finds clever resonances between events at different points in the narrative (the story is told somewhat out of chronological order) and creates just the right kind of atmosphere. There is inevitably a little bit of gender politics, but also a scene where a character suggests that there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married and have children, either. Engaging, likeable, and even quite moving in places.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Bat (1959) in Movies
Mar 31, 2020
The Bite
The Bat- is the fourth film adaptation of the story, which began as a 1908 novel The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which she later adapted (with Avery Hopwood) into the 1920 play The Bat. The first film version of the play was the 1926 American silent film The Bat. The film version was adapted by playwright Crane Wilbur, who also directed.
This one has Vincent Price in it, which is a huge plus in my books. He is such a excellent, fantasic and phenomenal actor. He is one of my favorites. He is also one of my favorite horror actors.
The plot: A killer called "the Bat" has claimed many lives in the small town inhabited by novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her maid, Lizzie (Lenita Lane). As Cornelia implores Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) to help her ailing maid, $1 million in the town's bank goes missing. With greed and fear reaching new heights, police Lt. Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) goes to Cornelia's house to investigate additional murders committed by the Bat.
Its a creepy, scary and classic movie.
This one has Vincent Price in it, which is a huge plus in my books. He is such a excellent, fantasic and phenomenal actor. He is one of my favorites. He is also one of my favorite horror actors.
The plot: A killer called "the Bat" has claimed many lives in the small town inhabited by novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her maid, Lizzie (Lenita Lane). As Cornelia implores Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) to help her ailing maid, $1 million in the town's bank goes missing. With greed and fear reaching new heights, police Lt. Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) goes to Cornelia's house to investigate additional murders committed by the Bat.
Its a creepy, scary and classic movie.
Otway93 (580 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in TV
Apr 19, 2020
Casting (1 more)
Special Effects
Story (1 more)
The Martians Reveal
Drawn out, dull, and not worthy of it's own title.
On first hearing about a new adaptation of War of the Worlds set in the original time and place as the book, I was incredible excited, as for some reason it has never been done.
Unfortunately, I, and my entire family were disappointed.
It's quite hard to review this without spoilers, as the main issue here is really the story, which has been so drawn out and distorted from it is no longer the story I know and love, but a show merely "based on" the book.
There are several critical differences in this story and the original story:
- The fates of different characters.
- The addition of pointless characters.
- The slow, intense reveal of the Martian invaders.
Despite these differences, the show could still have been enjoyable if it was not so drawn out. Without all the filler content, the whole thing could easily have been wrapped up into a much better 90 minute TV movie. Instead, the BBC drew it out in to 3 3 hour episodes that could bore the hind AND FRONT legs off a donkey.
Unfortunately, I, and my entire family were disappointed.
It's quite hard to review this without spoilers, as the main issue here is really the story, which has been so drawn out and distorted from it is no longer the story I know and love, but a show merely "based on" the book.
There are several critical differences in this story and the original story:
- The fates of different characters.
- The addition of pointless characters.
- The slow, intense reveal of the Martian invaders.
Despite these differences, the show could still have been enjoyable if it was not so drawn out. Without all the filler content, the whole thing could easily have been wrapped up into a much better 90 minute TV movie. Instead, the BBC drew it out in to 3 3 hour episodes that could bore the hind AND FRONT legs off a donkey.
Lenard (726 KP) rated Fantasy Island (2020) in Movies
Feb 24, 2020
Much like the recent adaptation of the Banana Splits Hour, Blumhouse's Fantasy Island took a show from my childhood and added horror elements to the premise. Five strangers land on an island where their fantasy is granted. The island is overseen by a mysterious Latino named Mr. Roarke, played by master monologuist Michael Pena. As you may have seen in the trailer, two are given everything that they want (money, sex, a mansion), one plays soldier, one is given a fresh start, and one gets revenge on a middle-school bully. However, a fantasy can easily become a nightmare and the island does not distinguish. As the five strangers are slowly brought back together, they learn that the island did not randomly select them. Someone else has their own nightmarish fantasy to live. I will not spoil the secret, but the mysterious person behind it all makes precious little sense unless he or she had a traumatic brain injury before and during the plot of the movie. Some scenes were very good and it could have been a good horror movie if it had just left the storylines separate like the tv show managed to do.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Call Of The Wild (2020) in Movies
Feb 25, 2020
Rather too big-budget Jack London adaptation is long on CGI and short on grit, but remains engaging and dignified entertainment. Pampered house dog Buck is abducted from his California home and packed off to Alaska during the gold rush, slowly getting in touch with his wild side. Harrison Ford plays the main human part - there was something oddly familiar about seeing the star team up with a huge, hairy, almost totally non-verbal partner and then I remembered the Russian word for dog is sowbacca and it all made a bit more sense.
The harder edges of London's book have been sanded down considerably, and this does verge on the sentimental and cutesy in places - for one ghastly moment I thought the dogs were going to start talking to each other - and the fact it's made with a CGI dog (Terry Notary has been mo-capped) will probably put some people off. But it's solid, likeable stuff, lifted considerably by performances from Ford and Omar Sy. I still think it was madness to spend over $120 million on a film which will probably struggle to find an audience, but it has a definite charm to it.
The harder edges of London's book have been sanded down considerably, and this does verge on the sentimental and cutesy in places - for one ghastly moment I thought the dogs were going to start talking to each other - and the fact it's made with a CGI dog (Terry Notary has been mo-capped) will probably put some people off. But it's solid, likeable stuff, lifted considerably by performances from Ford and Omar Sy. I still think it was madness to spend over $120 million on a film which will probably struggle to find an audience, but it has a definite charm to it.
Benedict Cumberbatch: The Biography
Book
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH has played detective and monster, barrister and scientist, politician and...
Britain's Forgotten Film Factory: The Story of Isleworth Studios
Book
The story of Isleworth Studios is essentially that of the British film industry from 1914 to 1952....
Tainted Love: Screening Sexual Perversion
Book
Interrogating the recent shift towards the mainstream in the cinematic representation of previously...
Vultures: Evolution, Ecology and Conservation
Book
This book reexamines current knowledge on the evolution, ecology, and conservation biology of both...
13 Reasons Why - Season 1
7.4
Rate It
TV Season Watch
13 Reasons Why (stylized onscreen as Th1rteen R3asons Why) is an American television series based on...