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Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction
Book
From the work of the New Journalists in the 1960s, to the "New Yorker" articles of John McPhee,...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Dirt (2019) in Movies
Mar 30, 2019
A little fluffy
I can't claim to know much about Motley Crue, however this film version of their best selling book just seems a little too fluffy and light. It seems to gloss over or make fun of some of their exploits and doesn't seem to want to be as hard hitting as it could be. Yes it does show some more serious moments, but it altogether just feels like it's trying to be a bit silly and entertaining.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Lion King (2019) in Movies
Jul 22, 2019
A beautiful trip filled with nostalgia
Criticising this update of The Lion King because of its similarities to the 1994 original is doing a real disservice to the time, money and effort that has gone into getting this behemoth of a film to the big-screen. Jon Favreau delivered a unique take on The Jungle Book and while the result is slightly less successful here, The Lion King is a technical marvel that shows what incredible special effects look like today.
Those emotional moments may not hit as hard as they used to, but this is a treat for the eyes and the ears and another satisfying, if cautious, win for Disney’s ‘live-action’ remakes.
Read more at: https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/07/19/the-lion-king-review-a-technical-marvel/
Those emotional moments may not hit as hard as they used to, but this is a treat for the eyes and the ears and another satisfying, if cautious, win for Disney’s ‘live-action’ remakes.
Read more at: https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/07/19/the-lion-king-review-a-technical-marvel/
Hamlet Lives in Hollywood: John Barrymore and the Acting Tradition Onscreen
Murray Pomerance and Steven Rybin
Book
John Barrymore's influence on screen and stage in the early twentieth century is incalculable. His...
Shooting 007: And Other Celluloid Adventures
Book
In Shooting 007, beloved cameraman and director of photography Alec Mills, a veteran of seven James...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
May 24, 2019 (Updated May 24, 2019)
Comic book perfection
It's a moment all comic movie fans have been waiting for - all these beloved characters in one film - and Infinity War delivers on so many levels.
With such a huge roster of well established characters, being played by so many A-List actors, it's an absolute marvel (excuse the pun) how the Russo Brothers manage to pull it off with such aplomb, with every hero being on screen for the right amount of time - it's quite incredible.
On top of all of the reliable heroes throughout, IW also properly introduces us to Thanos, who has been teased several times in the past, and he is a incredibly well realised big villain - you see where he's coming from, he's relatable, and still utterly terrifying and ruthless in how he relentlessly chases what he wants, no matter how much he loses in the process.
The CGI and motion capture used to create him is pretty flawless, and Josh Brolins booming voice completes the package.
The battle scenes are slick and tight and flow smoothly with the rest of the film - the humour is on point throughout - the scenes shared between members of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are so so great - it's hard to think of anything I didn't love about IW.
And just to top it all off, IW delivers an absolute gut punch of an ending, delivering the single biggest disaster to happen so far in the MCU.
As far as comic book movies go, I can't think how this will ever be beaten. A true epic.
With such a huge roster of well established characters, being played by so many A-List actors, it's an absolute marvel (excuse the pun) how the Russo Brothers manage to pull it off with such aplomb, with every hero being on screen for the right amount of time - it's quite incredible.
On top of all of the reliable heroes throughout, IW also properly introduces us to Thanos, who has been teased several times in the past, and he is a incredibly well realised big villain - you see where he's coming from, he's relatable, and still utterly terrifying and ruthless in how he relentlessly chases what he wants, no matter how much he loses in the process.
The CGI and motion capture used to create him is pretty flawless, and Josh Brolins booming voice completes the package.
The battle scenes are slick and tight and flow smoothly with the rest of the film - the humour is on point throughout - the scenes shared between members of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are so so great - it's hard to think of anything I didn't love about IW.
And just to top it all off, IW delivers an absolute gut punch of an ending, delivering the single biggest disaster to happen so far in the MCU.
As far as comic book movies go, I can't think how this will ever be beaten. A true epic.
FA
Face and Mask: A Double History
Hans Belting, Thomas S. Hansen and Abby J. Hansen
Book
A cultural history of the face in Western art, ranging from portraiture in painting and photography...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Finding Nemo (2003) in Movies
Apr 3, 2020
There's honestly nothing to not like about Finding Nemo - it's Pixar during its finest hour, and just shy of 20 years old, it's still looks great and is just as entertaining as it was back in 2003.
The ocean is the perfect setting for a kids film. It such a huge, largely unexplored place, full of mystery and wonder. Finding Nemo takes advantage of the vast display of aquatic colours and gives us a film that looks distinctive and vibrant.
The plot is definitely taken out of the Pixar guide book - not a bad thing of course. The opening minutes are suitably tragic, and serves as a reminder that Pixar can deliver a gut lunch when they want to, and this was still a few years before Up ripped out my heart.
The adventure that follows includes fun and action packed set pieces, plenty of comedy, and an array of memorable characters, backed up by a faultless voice cast.
Finding Nemo almost immediately earned its place amongst Disney-Pixar royalty, and it still clearly belongs there to this day.
The ocean is the perfect setting for a kids film. It such a huge, largely unexplored place, full of mystery and wonder. Finding Nemo takes advantage of the vast display of aquatic colours and gives us a film that looks distinctive and vibrant.
The plot is definitely taken out of the Pixar guide book - not a bad thing of course. The opening minutes are suitably tragic, and serves as a reminder that Pixar can deliver a gut lunch when they want to, and this was still a few years before Up ripped out my heart.
The adventure that follows includes fun and action packed set pieces, plenty of comedy, and an array of memorable characters, backed up by a faultless voice cast.
Finding Nemo almost immediately earned its place amongst Disney-Pixar royalty, and it still clearly belongs there to this day.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 17, 2018
This is no Ex Machina
Ex Machina is a great film, and I'd expected lots from this new film from Alex Garland, but sadly it doesn't live up to expectations.
The basic plot starts off well and even when they first venture into the shimmer, it's intriguing and actually pretty bizarre and interesting. It's just a shame that it soon turns into just plain old bizarre and is far too slow paced, going so far as being boring in parts.
Oscar Isaac is vastly underused in this, and the rest of the cast too either have little to work with or just arent very good. And the ending is just ridiculously bonkers with a very odd soundtrack that really doesn't fit with the scene. There's a lot that isn't elaborated on either but apparently is in the book, and the endings are completely different too.
This had potential but sadly really missed the mark.
The basic plot starts off well and even when they first venture into the shimmer, it's intriguing and actually pretty bizarre and interesting. It's just a shame that it soon turns into just plain old bizarre and is far too slow paced, going so far as being boring in parts.
Oscar Isaac is vastly underused in this, and the rest of the cast too either have little to work with or just arent very good. And the ending is just ridiculously bonkers with a very odd soundtrack that really doesn't fit with the scene. There's a lot that isn't elaborated on either but apparently is in the book, and the endings are completely different too.
This had potential but sadly really missed the mark.
Ducklady (1174 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Aug 25, 2019 (Updated Aug 25, 2019)
Enjoyable film, but too long
Contains spoilers, click to show
Leo and Brad, once again, did a great job. I felt like the nod to old westerns was not so much a nod as am almost full western within the film (I exaggerate of course, but it was quite lengthy).
I thought Margot Robbie did a lovely job as Sharon Tate, and the scene where she was watching her own movie was kind of adorable. although she barely spoke and I wish she had more input in the movie.
When the Manson family members got wrecked I laughed so hard. The part with the flamethrower was masterful, absolutely hilarious. Even though the screaming was so over-acted, it just made the scene so much more Tarantino and funny. Also, the dog survived so that's a win in my book.
I felt like a few scenes dragged a bit and a few didn't add anything to the movie.
I thought Margot Robbie did a lovely job as Sharon Tate, and the scene where she was watching her own movie was kind of adorable. although she barely spoke and I wish she had more input in the movie.
When the Manson family members got wrecked I laughed so hard. The part with the flamethrower was masterful, absolutely hilarious. Even though the screaming was so over-acted, it just made the scene so much more Tarantino and funny. Also, the dog survived so that's a win in my book.
I felt like a few scenes dragged a bit and a few didn't add anything to the movie.