The Lonesome Bodybuilder
Book
A housewife takes up bodybuilding and sees radical changes to her physique--which her workaholic...
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Mr. Vampire (1985) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
The team behind the 2K Restoration of Mr Vampire has done a good job, there is some slight grain to the film, but this really doesn’t distract from what is a fun movie with its mix of comedy, some martial arts and horror, the colours are nice and vibrant making the film look fresh and most probably how it looked when it first had its release, the dubbing is one of the better-dubbed movies I’ve seen recently and the 5.1 mix does sound good (I’ll update this review with the other language options soon).
Madgermanes
8.0
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Book
‘Madgermanes’ is what the Mozambican workers once contracted out to East Germany are called...
East Germany Mozambicans Historical Fiction
The Shadow Key
9.0
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Book
There’s something devilish going on in the quiet Welsh village of Penhelyg. Will the shadow key...
Historical fiction Wales
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Pain and Glory (2019) in Movies
Feb 3, 2020
Antonio Banderas, rightfully, has earned his (surpisingly) first Oscar Nomination for portraying a somewhat fictionalized version of the Spanish auteur - a once prolific film Director at the tail end of his career coming to terms with who he is, the physical pain he is currently feeling as his body ages and the reverent feelings and fond memories he has for his mother.
It is a strong, subtle and nuanced performance by Banderas - one that is in stark contrast to the bravura and panache that he has shown previously in such films as ZORRO, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO and as the voice of Puss 'N Boots in the SHREK films. Banderas' acting his been getting better with age and while I do not think he'll win the Oscar, I do think that this is not going to be the only Oscar nomination he will receive in his lifetime.
I was happy to see Banderas work in his native Spanish language - the same goes for Penelope Cruz who plays Banderas' character mother in flashbacks. I recently saw Cruz working in Spanish in 2018's EVERYBODY KNOWS and was just as transfixed by her performance in this film - worthy of a nomination. She is very good in English Language films, but she elevates to a different level when she works in Spanish. I would have loved to see a whole film about her character - and not just get a few scenes in flashback form.
Watching these 2 performances was well worth the time of watching this film, and that is good for I did not connect with the themes, struggles and plot set forth by Almodovar.
PAIN AND GLORY is Almodovar's semi-biographical meditation on life - and as such is a little to "navel gazing" for my tastes. When I watch these types of films either I get sucked into the narrative and characters (like I did with Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA last year) or...I do not.
And...unfortunately for PAIN AND GLORY...I did not. It is a good picture with 2 really good performances but one I was kept at a distance from and one that I never really connected with.
Come for the meditation, stay for the performances. And...PLEASE...if you watch this, DO NOT watch the dubbed version. Listen to the performances of Banderas and Cruz in their native Spanish and read the subtitles.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
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