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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Homegoing in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Extraordinary novel spanning seas and generations
A rather melancholic and at times bitterweet read, describing the journey of one family split into two lineages as a result of colonialism and slavery. It is rather horrific read to tales of rape and torture, but there is no way of skirting around the issue. What is more telling is the effects that eight generations of brutality has on a modern generation and how easy it is to dismiss today's problems without looking at the context.
Yaa Gyasi has really excelled in bringing the narratives together coherently. An important piece of literature worth putting as part of the school curriculum.
Yaa Gyasi has really excelled in bringing the narratives together coherently. An important piece of literature worth putting as part of the school curriculum.

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Swing Time in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Soul-moving realism
This is probably my favourite Zadie Smith novel, deeply touching with characters bursting to life out of the pages. Hitting on themes of racial identity and pop culture, it is a brilliant contemporary take on what young adults are currently experiencing. From cultural appropriation to the effects of globalisation all summed up in the relationship of one young woman and her peers.
Her relationship with her mother is one of generational divide while with her friend Tracy is one of class divide. The protagonist's character is the epitome of confusion and attempting to find a place in the world. Well worth the praise.
Her relationship with her mother is one of generational divide while with her friend Tracy is one of class divide. The protagonist's character is the epitome of confusion and attempting to find a place in the world. Well worth the praise.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2017
Could've been so much better
This could've been a fantastic dark and gruesome tale, and although parts of this were quite creepy (always the scenes with the hollows), I feel like Tim Burton has really missed the mark with this one. The film only has a very vague resemblance to the book, and it's very irritating that they've changed so many characters and so many scenes for no reason. Some of the acting and script seemed stilted and not well executed at times, and the pace was far too slow. The effects were good though and it did have potential, it's just a shame Burton couldn't pull it off.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Star Trek Beyond (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2017
Surprisingly good
I wasn't expecting much from this seen as it had a new director in Justin Lin,but it's actually very good - surprisingly so for a third film. The effects are great, the story is interesting and it's nice to see some of the supporting characters get a bigger part after Into Darkness (Bones, Scotty). My main issue is with Krall. Despite the films best efforts to make him a terrifying enemy, i just found him a little weak and the cg face was reslly offputting. Shame as Idris Elba is a fantastic actor and he could've been given more to work with.

Dean (6927 KP) rated The Lost Boys (1987) in Movies
Sep 5, 2017
Great cast (4 more)
Very good SFX
Very funny
Kiefer Sutherland
Cool soundtrack
Death by stereo!
What's not to love about this film? A very cool Vampire film and exactly how a Vampire film should be. It still looks great today the effects don't look dated. The Vampires look like how you expect them to. It has some iconic scenes and great dialogue, not to mention funny as well. One of my fave Kiefer Sutherland films in one of his earlier roles. The rest of the young cast have great chemistry. It also has some great songs to cap it off. It simply oozes coolness and class, a true 80's cult classic!

Dean (6927 KP) rated Queen of the Damned (2002) in Movies
Aug 14, 2017
Would make Lestat turn in his coffin
A totally different type of Vampire film to The interview with the Vampire. It uses the same character Lestat from the first, who now awakes in current times, and decides to become a rock star....much to the anger of many other Vampires. It was an ok film, pity it didn't have a better story, or bigger budget. The effects are ok, the most enjoyable part was learning some history of Lestat's character. Overall not bad if you like Vampire films but a poor follow on from the first film.

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Aug 16, 2017
Benedict Cumberbatch (1 more)
Special effects
A bit of a meh storyline (1 more)
BC's accent is all over the place
Fun to watch but nothing special
This is predictable beyond belief. As are most comic book films. A doctor has a big predicament (there's always some trouble at the beginning) and then has to become all-powerful to overcome this. Literally that's pretty much the entire storyline - it's not particularly intelligent. That being said, the graphics are pretty stunning, the scenes showing Benedict Cumberbatch running from one dimension to another is absolutely breathtaking. It feels on a higher scale than other Marvel films in terms of cinematography.

The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
May 24, 2018
Special Effects for Kong (2 more)
The acting is fairly good....
John C Reilly
The first half of this movie is a 10... once they hit the island AMAZING, then slowly downhill from there.
So I watched this movie one night, not expecting much but a show of primal force against modern technology and got exactly what i was looking for, but better than I expected. the foreboding on the island it palpable and delicious... The exotic species and fantastical creatures are appropriate and amazing. Really gets the imagination going. John C Reilly really rescues the ending in a lot of ways and makes it tolerable. Still a worthy watch.

Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Sucker Punch (2011) in Movies
May 15, 2019
Better than expected
I wasn't sure what I'd think of this one as it looked a bit strange, but I liked it. The cinematography and effects were great with lots of fun and exciting action sequences combining a genre-mix of styles. From steam-punk to anime style(live action though) to sci-fi but all with one thing im common, a group of "badass" girls kicking butt. It all kept the story from being what would've probably been a fairly boring tale about a group of women's attempt to escape an insane asylum. Overall a very entertaining movie with interesting characters and a fun, unique style. Worth a watch!

Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Titanic (1997) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)
Titanic was an absolute breakthrough for director James Cameron, swooping 11 Oscars at the 1998 awards. To this day, it remains the third highest grossing film of all time, recently pushed down from second by Avengers: Endgame. Starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, a lot has been said about the film’s over reliance on the central love triangle.
Watching it again over 20 years later still showcases Titanic’s incredible special effects, emotional plot and stunning cinematography and sound design. This disaster film is the biggest of all time and it’s easy to see why, despite the, at times, flabby story.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/08/films-set-at-sea-top-5/
Watching it again over 20 years later still showcases Titanic’s incredible special effects, emotional plot and stunning cinematography and sound design. This disaster film is the biggest of all time and it’s easy to see why, despite the, at times, flabby story.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/08/films-set-at-sea-top-5/