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Awix (3310 KP) rated 1917 (2020) in Movies

Jan 13, 2020

1917 (2020)

2020 | Drama, War

8.8

(56 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Powerful war movie is much more than just a one-shot-wonder gimmick picture. Two ordinary soldiers are sent to deliver a message across enemy territory; one of them is experienced but far from keen, the other is strongly motivated - he has a brother whose life will be in peril if he fails in his mission. Their journey takes them across no-man's-land, fields, forests and through ruined towns, with the horror of the war constantly around them.

It's obvious from early on that this is not actually a movie shot in one or two takes (to paraphrase Eric and Ernie, you can see the joins) but the important thing is not whether it was made in one take, but whether it has the same kind of immersive effect as a one-take movie. And mostly it succeeds: after a while you almost forget the virtuoso display of camera control and focus on the characters and their story. There are no very new ideas here about the war in the trenches - brave Tommies are led by officers of questionable effectiveness and intelligence in a futile meatgrinder war - but the quality of the sensory experience draws you in and makes you understand and care about what happened. A technically brilliant, very fine film.

Kudos

ClareR (6157 KP) rated Close to Home in Books

Jan 7, 2020

Close to Home

Cara Hunter | 2017 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller

7.6

(7 Ratings)

Book Rating

I didn’t want to put this down!

Eighteen months ago, I wouldn’t have picked up this book. I thought I didn’t like police procedural, crime or thriller novels. However, The Pigeonhole has opened up a whole new genre to me, and I’m so glad - I wouldn’t have read this book for a start!

I think Adam Fawley is going to be a detective that I will enjoy reading about. This isn’t a pleasant subject: an eight year old child, Daisy Mason, goes missing, and rather than doing everything they can to help find her, her parents are positively obstructive. Her younger brother is withdrawn - in fact it really doesn’t look good for the parents.

The police team are all great characters to read about, and DI Fawley is very human. We learn about his tragic background, and the reason why he works so hard to find Daisy.

I just really liked everything about this - the storyline isn’t needlessly gruesome, the characters are really well described and the ending was so good (oh, it had me rubbing my hands together!). To be honest, I’ve already bought the next two books in the series!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Cara Hunter for reading along.

Kudos

Drew Horner (8 KP) rated Locke and Key in TV

Mar 1, 2020

Locke and Key

2020 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

8.1

(35 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Intriguing concept that kept me curious about what the next key would do. (2 more)

Really liked Kinsey, the middle sister who seems to tie the show together.

The fun is in the discovery of the keys - not the story behind them.

A couple stiff characters - especially Tyler (the older brother) - who sometimes made confoundingly dumb decisions. (1 more)

Some of the more emotional moments failed to stick the landing.

Better than Expected

The marketing for the show gave me a Narnia vibe and I thought it would be a very childish affair. While the majority of the show, with some exceptions, was family-friendly, it wasn't as childish as I thought. We binged it in a weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The show revolves around the Locke family who moved to their ancestral home - Key House - after suffering the tragic loss of their father/husband. Shortly after arriving at Key House, the Locke children begin finding magical keys throughout the house that each have special properties. But, of course these keys attract a sinister force that hungers to possess the power of the keys.

The show was enjoyable, but left a lot of threads dangling for what will likely be a second season.

Kudos

BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies

Mar 4, 2020

The Invisible Man (2020)

2020 | Horror, Sci-Fi

7.5

(45 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Genuinely terrifying...

Contains spoilers, click to show

I've always thought thrillers were scarier than horrors. They can do anything in a horror movie, making it as fantastical as they want. Killer clowns from space? Check. Mirrors to the other side? Check. They've got it all... but thrillers are so intense and believable that it scares you to your core. For real. This movie was so well made that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, well except that one bit with the needle but that's because I hate needles... This movie could have been made so badly based on other 'invisible' characters we have seen before. But the acting in this film was just. Perfect *finger kiss*. I can't remember the last time a movie made me jump out my seat, it had the whole cinema audience biting their nails and gripping their seats. I was in awe the whole time. Not once did I think that a part could have been changed. Everything was so well done, I could honestly say, I would be more afraid of an invisible stalker, than a ghost haunting me.

Side note: me and my stepdad who watched it with me both agree that the suit itself, whether Adrian, his brother or anyone else wears it, would make an amazing Super Villain movie!