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The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox
Book
In 1774, Boston bookseller Henry Knox married Lucy Waldo Flucker, the daughter of a prominent Tory...
Introducing Employment Relations
Book
Introducing Employment Relations draws on the most up-to-date research and many contemporary...
The Craft of Ritual Studies
Book
In religious studies, theory and method research has long been embroiled in a polarized debate over...
Red, White, and Black: Cinema and the Structure of U.S. Antagonisms
Book
Red, White & Black is a provocative critique of socially engaged films and related critical...
Albert Camus
Book
One of France's most high-profile writers, Albert Camus experienced both public adulation and...
TA
Tourism and War
Book
This is the first volume to fully explore the complex relationship between war and tourism by...
Comics, Trauma, and the New Art of War
Book
Conflict and trauma remain among the most prevalent themes in film and literature. Comics has never...
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Duck Soup (1933) in Movies
Jun 29, 2020
Decent Story Held Back By Too Many Confusing Plot Points
In Duck Soup, a wealthy widow offers aid to a struggling country on the condition they make a chaotic idiot their leader.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Main character Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is absolutely hilarious. He has quips for days and he’s always doing something to liven up a scene. The other characters, while good, get lost in the greatness of his funny antics.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Numerous setpieces abound here which keeps the movie fresh. The movies’s consistent change of scenery and large visual spectacles propels Duck Soup to almost passable heights. I can appreciate a movie with a constant change of pace, especially older films.
Conflict: 3
I spent a decent amount of this movie trying to figure out just what exactly was going on. The conflict never seemed strong enough for me to think the stakes were worth it. It was clear the focus was more on the comedy aspect rather than driving the story.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 3
Pace: 10
Plot: 7
Resolution: 5
The ending was meh and that’s me being generous. It was essentially a compounding of the story as a whole which totally lost steam for me towards the back half of the movie. it felt like, by the time we reach the end, the writer forgot what initially made the story great in the first place.
Overall: 76
When you don’t really know what’s going on right off the nose, it makes it hard to settle into the story. Duck Soup does a lot of things rights. However, a solid main character and grandiose scenes aren’t quite enough to mask the fact that the movie falls just shy of being good. Not terrible, but definitely not great.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Main character Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is absolutely hilarious. He has quips for days and he’s always doing something to liven up a scene. The other characters, while good, get lost in the greatness of his funny antics.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Numerous setpieces abound here which keeps the movie fresh. The movies’s consistent change of scenery and large visual spectacles propels Duck Soup to almost passable heights. I can appreciate a movie with a constant change of pace, especially older films.
Conflict: 3
I spent a decent amount of this movie trying to figure out just what exactly was going on. The conflict never seemed strong enough for me to think the stakes were worth it. It was clear the focus was more on the comedy aspect rather than driving the story.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 3
Pace: 10
Plot: 7
Resolution: 5
The ending was meh and that’s me being generous. It was essentially a compounding of the story as a whole which totally lost steam for me towards the back half of the movie. it felt like, by the time we reach the end, the writer forgot what initially made the story great in the first place.
Overall: 76
When you don’t really know what’s going on right off the nose, it makes it hard to settle into the story. Duck Soup does a lot of things rights. However, a solid main character and grandiose scenes aren’t quite enough to mask the fact that the movie falls just shy of being good. Not terrible, but definitely not great.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated This Evening and The Morning in Books
Apr 9, 2021
Loved it!
46 of 250
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Aug 21, 2020
the depiction of the rich and poor. (2 more)
The depiction of class conflict.
The depiction of social inequality.
overhyped (1 more)
strange and weird.
Just Strange Overall
Parasite- i heard excellent things about it, people rating it 9's and 10's. Calling it "one of the best movies of 2019", calling it "one of the best movies all of time". All of the hype, all of the rewards, all of the critcism, was it deserved well yes and no. Here is the thing the movie was okay. Bong Joon-Ho does a excellent depicking the rich and the poor. Other than that, the movie was hard to follow. Im not the biggest fan of foreign language films cause their are hard to follow. But i do like some foreign language films. One of my favorites is "Pans Labyrinith". "Cronos", "Let The Right One In", "The Orphanage", Juila's Eyes", "The Devil's Backbone" and "Thelma". Are all excellent Foreign langauge films. Its just this one i couldnt get into.
The plot: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Should it got all of these awards, well yes and no. Like i said it does a excellent job depicking the rich from the poor, class conflict, social inequality and wealth disparity. Bong Joon-Ho did a excellent job wih the subject matter. Just for me it was kinda of boring, hard to follow and just strange. I dont if i should of gotten all of those rewards, i mean it was well desvered but their were better movies.
I know other loved this film, just me i didnt. Again this is my opinion. I just want people to know that. Watch it if you want to. Just the hype was overhyped for me.
The plot: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Should it got all of these awards, well yes and no. Like i said it does a excellent job depicking the rich from the poor, class conflict, social inequality and wealth disparity. Bong Joon-Ho did a excellent job wih the subject matter. Just for me it was kinda of boring, hard to follow and just strange. I dont if i should of gotten all of those rewards, i mean it was well desvered but their were better movies.
I know other loved this film, just me i didnt. Again this is my opinion. I just want people to know that. Watch it if you want to. Just the hype was overhyped for me.