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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
This was another first for me. Previous to watching this silent “masterpiece” Dreyer was a name I had only read in film history essays and when anyone writing for Sight and Sound wants to look clever. As a stepping stone to what could be achieved it is of course a valuable historic document. As a film to be enjoyed almost 100 years later, it is all but unwatchable at 110 minutes. There is perhaps a half hour’s worth of story and images, merely extended and repeated to an excruciating degree. It’s not that it is silent, or has very strange religious overtones that don’t resonate now in the same way they once might – because it is very beautiful and remarkable in small sections – it is that a monotony of accusation, followed by denial, followed by crying, followed by spiritual revelation is all there is to it. And it goes on and on and on until you really could not care less.
The story of Joan of Arc is extraordinary, but this is not the story of Joan of Arc, it is her passion only, as in her trial and execution. The close ups of Maria Falconetti as the eponymous saint are all you can really take away from it in the end. Her odd beauty and commitment to the role do leave a lasting impression, but the two dimensional fire and brimstone evil of her accusers is just too much, even comic, to behold and believe in 2021. For study purposes, seeing where certain techniques and shot ideas had their Genesis, for example, it is of great interest. As a film to watch and enjoy it has sadly outlived its worth. When you consider Fritz Lang’s M was only 3 years later, it all comes into context.
The story of Joan of Arc is extraordinary, but this is not the story of Joan of Arc, it is her passion only, as in her trial and execution. The close ups of Maria Falconetti as the eponymous saint are all you can really take away from it in the end. Her odd beauty and commitment to the role do leave a lasting impression, but the two dimensional fire and brimstone evil of her accusers is just too much, even comic, to behold and believe in 2021. For study purposes, seeing where certain techniques and shot ideas had their Genesis, for example, it is of great interest. As a film to watch and enjoy it has sadly outlived its worth. When you consider Fritz Lang’s M was only 3 years later, it all comes into context.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Municipalists in Books
Sep 24, 2019
Watch the Friendship Bloom :)
I didn’t imagine I would like this novel much but in fact, I did. It’s a rather quick read but the adventure is quite the ride!
Henry starts off as an average, run of the mill model employee. He pretty much blends in the background and plays by the rules. Sounds uninteresting doesn’t it? He’s got a thing for trains and his past isn’t shining bright considering what happened to his parents. He’s a wallflower with a sad past and he just immerses himself into his work.
Then comes OWEN.
He changes Henry - a lot. Their friendship is laughable at first and off to a rocky start. (like most when you have an odd couple/opposites in a team) OWEN has wit and a rather unconventional way of solving things whereas Henry likes to stick with the rules. Yet it’s because of OWEN that Henry’s character develops and changes. They end up being a likable pair and they start growing on you despite the rather awkward start. OWEN does provide the comic relief in the story though, he’s a supercomputer you would not mind hanging out with.
The plot is straight to the point and there’s not much in the way of twists and turns. There are a few revelations here and there but it’s mainly about Henry and his view on the world and how it changes. That’s really the main point of the novel. There’s some action scenes and some intrigue but nothing over the top. There are going to be parts that pack a punch but it’s effective as you really do connect with both Henry and OWEN.
It’s a quick read and an enjoyable one, I say read it for character development and watching the friendship between Henry and OWEN- and enjoy it.
Henry starts off as an average, run of the mill model employee. He pretty much blends in the background and plays by the rules. Sounds uninteresting doesn’t it? He’s got a thing for trains and his past isn’t shining bright considering what happened to his parents. He’s a wallflower with a sad past and he just immerses himself into his work.
Then comes OWEN.
He changes Henry - a lot. Their friendship is laughable at first and off to a rocky start. (like most when you have an odd couple/opposites in a team) OWEN has wit and a rather unconventional way of solving things whereas Henry likes to stick with the rules. Yet it’s because of OWEN that Henry’s character develops and changes. They end up being a likable pair and they start growing on you despite the rather awkward start. OWEN does provide the comic relief in the story though, he’s a supercomputer you would not mind hanging out with.
The plot is straight to the point and there’s not much in the way of twists and turns. There are a few revelations here and there but it’s mainly about Henry and his view on the world and how it changes. That’s really the main point of the novel. There’s some action scenes and some intrigue but nothing over the top. There are going to be parts that pack a punch but it’s effective as you really do connect with both Henry and OWEN.
It’s a quick read and an enjoyable one, I say read it for character development and watching the friendship between Henry and OWEN- and enjoy it.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Phasma in Books
Jul 11, 2019 (Updated Jul 11, 2019)
I was pumped to read more about Phasma, after Rian Johnson did her character dirty (well, he did every character dirty in TLJ). Luckily for me, I had read the 4 issue comic run from Kelly Thompson. Protip: Read Thompson's Phasma run and skip this novel.
Firstly, this novel was not told from Phasma's point of view until the last chapter. The story is coming out to Cardinal, a Captain in the First Order that wears red armor (didn't know cardinals or chickens existed in the SW universe), from a Resistance spy, Vi. Basically, dude is jelly that he was technically demoted when Phasma arrived to the First Order. Vi rambles on the story of Phasma from the character Siv, who was a member of Phasma's band of warriors. Guess what? Phasma's from a backwater planet, color me shocked. All of the characters were bland, boring, and unlikable. I was done with the book when Siv revealed that she was pregnant, and kept rambling on about the baby and crap. Unless the baby was Rey, no one cares. Where was the editor? Also, the going on and on about how different the accents were between Brendol Hux/the First Order people and the warriors from the hell planet was so annoying.
The story was predictable, and boring. The option to tell the story of Phasma with 2 degrees of separation was ineffectual. This makes me leery about reading any other SW novel by this author. I was going to purchase Black Spire, but I'm definitely just going to get it at the library. So, not only did TLJ do Phasma a disservice, so did this novel. This is definitely one of the worst books in the new canon.
Firstly, this novel was not told from Phasma's point of view until the last chapter. The story is coming out to Cardinal, a Captain in the First Order that wears red armor (didn't know cardinals or chickens existed in the SW universe), from a Resistance spy, Vi. Basically, dude is jelly that he was technically demoted when Phasma arrived to the First Order. Vi rambles on the story of Phasma from the character Siv, who was a member of Phasma's band of warriors. Guess what? Phasma's from a backwater planet, color me shocked. All of the characters were bland, boring, and unlikable. I was done with the book when Siv revealed that she was pregnant, and kept rambling on about the baby and crap. Unless the baby was Rey, no one cares. Where was the editor? Also, the going on and on about how different the accents were between Brendol Hux/the First Order people and the warriors from the hell planet was so annoying.
The story was predictable, and boring. The option to tell the story of Phasma with 2 degrees of separation was ineffectual. This makes me leery about reading any other SW novel by this author. I was going to purchase Black Spire, but I'm definitely just going to get it at the library. So, not only did TLJ do Phasma a disservice, so did this novel. This is definitely one of the worst books in the new canon.
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