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Awix (3310 KP) rated Saving Mr. Banks (2013) in Movies
Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 4, 2019)
Well-mounted but self-referential (and that's putting it very charitably!) look at the origins of Mary Poppins. Pamela Travers (Thompson), who is very British and starchy, flies to Los Angeles where she meets the avuncular Walt Disney (Hanks), intent on adapting her books about a supernatural dominatrix for the cinema. Colin Farrell appears in flashback as Travers' feckless dad; despite what the soundtrack listing suggests, he does not sing 'Chim Chiminee', so manage your expectations.
Nicely made and played, and quite amusing an' all, but hard to escape the impression this is just a massive piece of self-aggrandisement by the House of Mouse: poor old repressed Travers just needs a bit more Disney in her life in order to become happier and more successful, to say nothing of the various factual inaccuracies. But then it's a Disney film actually about Walt Disney, so what do you expect? Watchable stuff, but take a pinch of salt along with the many spoonfuls of sugar.
Nicely made and played, and quite amusing an' all, but hard to escape the impression this is just a massive piece of self-aggrandisement by the House of Mouse: poor old repressed Travers just needs a bit more Disney in her life in order to become happier and more successful, to say nothing of the various factual inaccuracies. But then it's a Disney film actually about Walt Disney, so what do you expect? Watchable stuff, but take a pinch of salt along with the many spoonfuls of sugar.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) in Movies
Apr 9, 2019
Umpty-tumpth Bond film rests on the laurels of GoldenEye perhaps just a bit too much. Evil media magnate Carver tries to orchestrate a war between the UK and China so he can sell more papers and grab a satellite TV franchise; British intelligence decides to disrupt his scheme by sending James Bond to have sex with his wife.
Well-mounted set pieces, and plenty of them, plus Michelle Yeoh gets an eye-catching role as the 'Oh, James!' character, but the problem is that the rest of it feels like karaoke Bond, without the self-awareness or attempts to move the franchise on that lifted GoldenEye somewhat - plus, it's just not as well written. The result is a mid-range entry in the series, assuming one overlooks the schoolboy error of Bond not being able to read Chinese (as any fule kno, he got a First in Oriental Languages at Cambridge). This still equates to an entertaining movie, just not an exceptional one.
Well-mounted set pieces, and plenty of them, plus Michelle Yeoh gets an eye-catching role as the 'Oh, James!' character, but the problem is that the rest of it feels like karaoke Bond, without the self-awareness or attempts to move the franchise on that lifted GoldenEye somewhat - plus, it's just not as well written. The result is a mid-range entry in the series, assuming one overlooks the schoolboy error of Bond not being able to read Chinese (as any fule kno, he got a First in Oriental Languages at Cambridge). This still equates to an entertaining movie, just not an exceptional one.
Ashley Valencia (5 KP) rated Into the Woods (2014) in Movies
Apr 14, 2019
Cast (2 more)
Adaption to film
Music
Baker's father reduced role (1 more)
Missing songs
And Happy Ever After! (I wish)
Fans of the play will love this movie. They did a great job adapting this for a film.
The cast is especially amazing, esp Meryl Streep and my dream wife Anna Kendrick. However, while James um British talk show host that plays the Baker wasn't the worst choice, he kind of stuck out as mediocre compared to the other cast members. The singing from all cast members, James included, is all excellently done, all the actors performed their vocals live.
My only real beef with the movie is the complete removal of the narrator character and the missing song, "No More". While they also didnt include "Agony: Reprise," I liked the change they made to Rapunzel's story which would've recquired halfing the song or a complete rewrite. I'm good with that trade off. Plus I imagine the lyric "dwarves are very upsetting" might've proved for some to be indeed upsetting.
The cast is especially amazing, esp Meryl Streep and my dream wife Anna Kendrick. However, while James um British talk show host that plays the Baker wasn't the worst choice, he kind of stuck out as mediocre compared to the other cast members. The singing from all cast members, James included, is all excellently done, all the actors performed their vocals live.
My only real beef with the movie is the complete removal of the narrator character and the missing song, "No More". While they also didnt include "Agony: Reprise," I liked the change they made to Rapunzel's story which would've recquired halfing the song or a complete rewrite. I'm good with that trade off. Plus I imagine the lyric "dwarves are very upsetting" might've proved for some to be indeed upsetting.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Shout (1979) in Movies
Apr 15, 2019
Watchable sort-of horror movie, distinguished by a good cast. These days we'd probably call it a post-horror movie, but they didn't have those back in the 1970s (maybe it's a pre-post-horror movie). An innocent couple are terrorised by a stranger who claims to have magical powers, including a deadly shout.
No-one in The Shout behaves remotely like a real person would, and the title is a bit misleading as the actual Shout itself (while a big moment and fairly well-staged when it comes) doesn't have much to do with the plot. But it does have a very good cast and the various strangenesses of the story can be explained by the fact this is a tall tale being told by the inmate of an insane asylum. Not the great lost British horror film some would have you believe it is, but a curious and distinctive tale.
No-one in The Shout behaves remotely like a real person would, and the title is a bit misleading as the actual Shout itself (while a big moment and fairly well-staged when it comes) doesn't have much to do with the plot. But it does have a very good cast and the various strangenesses of the story can be explained by the fact this is a tall tale being told by the inmate of an insane asylum. Not the great lost British horror film some would have you believe it is, but a curious and distinctive tale.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Murder In Steeple Martin in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Slow starter but soon pulls you in
This book starts a little slowly but very soon rewards those who stick with it and becomes one of the most engaging books I have read in a long time. Vaguely reminiscent of Agatha Raisin, in that the heroine is a dumpy middle-aged, neurotic woman who lives in deeply rural England with a cat. Yet this is by no means a rip-off.
Somewhat less manic than A.R., both series carry on an old and well-established style of British Mystery writing. That said, it is clear that Lesley Cookman has gone out of her way to break some of the rules. For example there is only -shock, horror!- *one* murder in her book;her characters have no access to the Police enquiry, so are working completly in the dark; and as much as she can she has avoided having characters do obviously stupid things.
This is not an earth-shattering book, but it is a thoroughly good read.
Somewhat less manic than A.R., both series carry on an old and well-established style of British Mystery writing. That said, it is clear that Lesley Cookman has gone out of her way to break some of the rules. For example there is only -shock, horror!- *one* murder in her book;her characters have no access to the Police enquiry, so are working completly in the dark; and as much as she can she has avoided having characters do obviously stupid things.
This is not an earth-shattering book, but it is a thoroughly good read.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Artifice in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I had been meaning to read this graphic novel for a while, having heard good things about how it used a sci-fi / action story to talk about homophobia, racism, free will, first love, and self-acceptance; and in light of recent current events, it seemed like the perfect time. The artwork is absolutely wonderful, and perfectly captures all the nuances of the story, which is pretty great in itself. While it can occasionally feel a little predictable, the tale of Deacon and Jeff was sweetly romantic and contained many moments that I found very relatable, in spite of the science fiction setting and sporadic bursts of violence. In a way, this story is similar to recent British hit anthology show "Black Mirror", in that it uses its sci-fi setting to tell a deeply human story to great effect. While it may fall a little short of being a masterpiece, it is a great comic, and one I would love to see continued.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dredd (2012) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018 (Updated Feb 25, 2018)
Stripped-down, intensely violent adaptation of the classic British comic strip. More faithful in many ways than the reviled 1995 version with Stallone. Ruthless lawman Judge Dredd and trainee Judge Anderson find themselves trapped inside a vast tower block with a bunch of bad guys; community policing ensues.
Still doesn't quite achieve the humour, satire, or general SF weirdness of the comic strip at its best, and to be honest the sheer brutality of the film is a little off-putting in places, but Urban is about as good as Dredd as you can imagine a major film star being, and everyone else does serviceable work (Thirlby's character is essentially Judge Anderson in only the broadest possible sense). Stylish and well-made, even if it struggles with the facts that a) the best Judge Dredd film ever made is still Robocop and b) it has (coincidentally) exactly the same premise as The Raid, which came out the same year.
Still doesn't quite achieve the humour, satire, or general SF weirdness of the comic strip at its best, and to be honest the sheer brutality of the film is a little off-putting in places, but Urban is about as good as Dredd as you can imagine a major film star being, and everyone else does serviceable work (Thirlby's character is essentially Judge Anderson in only the broadest possible sense). Stylish and well-made, even if it struggles with the facts that a) the best Judge Dredd film ever made is still Robocop and b) it has (coincidentally) exactly the same premise as The Raid, which came out the same year.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) in Movies
Feb 19, 2018
Ninth James Bond film was rush-released to consolidate Roger Moore in the role, also to cash in on fad for kung fu movies at the time; forms part of the 'British civil servant travels by seaplane to sun-obsessed Christopher Lee's private island in search of missing girl, finds Britt Ekland waiting' movement of 1973-4. Bond must engage in battle of wits with triple-nippled assassin Scaramanga. Then-topical subplot about energy crisis trundles along in the background.
Not bad instance of Bond franchise as pure genre movie; decent fights and chases, but only one moment that really deserves a place on the 'best of Bond' showreel (the corkscrew bridge jump). Christopher Lee barely breaks a sweat as the best actor in the movie. Slightly sleazy atmosphere (in places it resembles a softcore porn movie with the sex edited out); you can kind of see why one of the original producers thought the series had run out of steam and departed before the next one.
Not bad instance of Bond franchise as pure genre movie; decent fights and chases, but only one moment that really deserves a place on the 'best of Bond' showreel (the corkscrew bridge jump). Christopher Lee barely breaks a sweat as the best actor in the movie. Slightly sleazy atmosphere (in places it resembles a softcore porn movie with the sex edited out); you can kind of see why one of the original producers thought the series had run out of steam and departed before the next one.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Warlords of Atlantis (1978) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018 (Updated Feb 20, 2018)
Really-not-bad-considering-what-it-is British fantasy film, from the makers of three other mid-70s Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations - this story is original (well, up to a point). Two-fisted bathyscape engineer and his posh associate discover Atlantis, which is populated by various unexpected character actors, rubber monsters, and also Cyd Charisse (goes to show you never can tell).
Looks slightly more lavish than the three Amicus films; Atlantis bears a suspicious resemblance to Malta (which may give you a clue as to where the location filming was done). Pleasantly tropey plot, occasionally verges on the absurd; rubber monsters (the Zaargs!) are actually not too bad. The giant octopus has a kind of kitsch grandeur to it; somewhat emblematic of the whole movie. In the end it's not exactly written by Shakespeare but highly entertaining if you like this sort of thing; possibly the best of the Connor-McClure fantasy films.
Looks slightly more lavish than the three Amicus films; Atlantis bears a suspicious resemblance to Malta (which may give you a clue as to where the location filming was done). Pleasantly tropey plot, occasionally verges on the absurd; rubber monsters (the Zaargs!) are actually not too bad. The giant octopus has a kind of kitsch grandeur to it; somewhat emblematic of the whole movie. In the end it's not exactly written by Shakespeare but highly entertaining if you like this sort of thing; possibly the best of the Connor-McClure fantasy films.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) in Movies
Jun 15, 2018
Umpty-tumpth Tarzan movie goes back to Burroughs and features most of the stuff you'd expect from this kind of thing: posh English couple cark it somewhere in Africa, leaving infant son to be raised by wild apes. He grows up, quickly learns to wear a loincloth so as not to outrage the censor, rediscovers his heritage, and so on.
Christopher Lambert is pretty good as the Lord of the Apes, though the script has to explain exactly why Tarzan has a French accent; Ralph Richardson and Ian Holm are really better in supporting roles, though. If the film has a problem it's that it's just a bit too downbeat and glum for a Tarzan movie - you can take gritty realism just a bit too far, and director Hugh Hudson seems determined to make serious angry points about the evils of imperialism, colonialism, and the British establishment. Still, it's probably preferable to most of the previous, ultra-silly Tarzan movies.
Christopher Lambert is pretty good as the Lord of the Apes, though the script has to explain exactly why Tarzan has a French accent; Ralph Richardson and Ian Holm are really better in supporting roles, though. If the film has a problem it's that it's just a bit too downbeat and glum for a Tarzan movie - you can take gritty realism just a bit too far, and director Hugh Hudson seems determined to make serious angry points about the evils of imperialism, colonialism, and the British establishment. Still, it's probably preferable to most of the previous, ultra-silly Tarzan movies.