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Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Sorry to Bother You (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
This movie was funny, poignant, and sure did take a turn in the third act. The world that Cassius Green ("cash is green") lives in is a not-quite bizarro version of our own world--take all the issues the United States is having and turn them to 11 and you'll understand. It reminded me a bit of Idiocracy in that way. But I digress. Cassius Green just wants stability. He wants to make money to eventually move out of his uncle's (Terry Crews) garage, and he wants to impress his girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson). He finds a job working as a telemarketer, and, what's more, he finds success by adopting a "white voice," voiced by David Cross. He soon faces a moral crisis when he finds out what he's actually selling, and who he's selling out.
Brilliantly shot and directed, Sorry to Bother You is a delight to watch. Every actor is on point, and the comedic timing never skips a beat. But it's not without a message, and it won't be hard to decipher. Sorry to Bother You is a satire in the purest of forms--and what is being satirized is us. After it's over, it invites you to take a moment to reflect on your own life, and what part you play in the world. Excellent, relevant film. Highly recommend.
(Also, I have to add that I saw this at a weekday afternoon matinee, and the audience was full of old white people. They looked less than pleased as we were walking out. What did you think this was??)
Brilliantly shot and directed, Sorry to Bother You is a delight to watch. Every actor is on point, and the comedic timing never skips a beat. But it's not without a message, and it won't be hard to decipher. Sorry to Bother You is a satire in the purest of forms--and what is being satirized is us. After it's over, it invites you to take a moment to reflect on your own life, and what part you play in the world. Excellent, relevant film. Highly recommend.
(Also, I have to add that I saw this at a weekday afternoon matinee, and the audience was full of old white people. They looked less than pleased as we were walking out. What did you think this was??)
Awix (3310 KP) rated Peterloo (2018) in Movies
Nov 9, 2018 (Updated Nov 9, 2018)
Inescapably worthy costume drama sheds some light on a half-forgotten landmark in British political history, but in the process kind of comes across as Barry Lyndon as written by Jeremy Corbyn. Decent, heroic, possibly slightly naive reformers campaign to reform society; greedy and self-serving politicians, magistrates and businessmen unite to stop them; in the end the troops are sent in.
Not quite as punishingly didactic as it sounds, but this may not have been intentional: what may also have been an accident is how close the film frequently comes to being actually quite funny. There are some spectacular wigs and hats, startling accents, and very broad performances from most of the cast - it almost feels like a parody of a bad costume drama in places. There's a scene where a family of semi-literate mill-workers pause to discuss the economic effects of the Corn Laws in some detail, mostly for the audience's benefit, while another scene arguably recycles a Monty Python gag. Casting someone from Blackadder as the Prince Regent was probably a misstep, too.
Still, it all reeks with conviction and moral outrage, and in the end the Peterloo massacre itself is staged quite well - though I still think it could have been handled slightly more cinematically. This is the movie equivalent of someone who hands out the Socialist Worker in the street: the intentions are so laudable that you kind of feel obliged to indulge the earnest lack of self-awareness. Looks quite good too.
Not quite as punishingly didactic as it sounds, but this may not have been intentional: what may also have been an accident is how close the film frequently comes to being actually quite funny. There are some spectacular wigs and hats, startling accents, and very broad performances from most of the cast - it almost feels like a parody of a bad costume drama in places. There's a scene where a family of semi-literate mill-workers pause to discuss the economic effects of the Corn Laws in some detail, mostly for the audience's benefit, while another scene arguably recycles a Monty Python gag. Casting someone from Blackadder as the Prince Regent was probably a misstep, too.
Still, it all reeks with conviction and moral outrage, and in the end the Peterloo massacre itself is staged quite well - though I still think it could have been handled slightly more cinematically. This is the movie equivalent of someone who hands out the Socialist Worker in the street: the intentions are so laudable that you kind of feel obliged to indulge the earnest lack of self-awareness. Looks quite good too.
ClareR (6062 KP) rated Slaughter and Forgetting (Josef Slonsky Investigations #2) in Books
Dec 4, 2018
Another great Slonsky book!!
In my opinion, Slonsky just seems to get better and better. He’s lazy, sarcastic and constantly drinking beer and eating anything that isn’t regarded as healthy.
This time, he’s solving a thirty year old murder, after an elderly ex-policeman asks him to reopen the case. This appears unlikely to happen, until Holoubek (the elderly policeman) is killed in a hit and run.
We’re introduced to a new character, Peiperova, a female police officer, who Navratil certainly has a soft spot for. I think she is going to feature a lot in the books that follow!
There’s a lot of humour in this book, especially the darker variety. We are given an insight in to the communist past of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and it isn’t all nice. Some is quite amusing though: a trade deal with Hungary that involved trading Hi-Fi’s for toasters!!
For all Slonsky’s apparent laziness, he is actually very good at what he does. He has a moral code - he hates to see people get hurt, and a lot of thought goes into this case (even if it is done whilst sat in a bar, beer in hand!).
I’m a big fan of Slonsky. I love his fast wit, and the way that he tries to cover up a razor sharp mind - with a camouflage of pastries, beer and sausage!
I’ll be adding the next Slonsky book to my kindle ASAP!
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this great book.
This time, he’s solving a thirty year old murder, after an elderly ex-policeman asks him to reopen the case. This appears unlikely to happen, until Holoubek (the elderly policeman) is killed in a hit and run.
We’re introduced to a new character, Peiperova, a female police officer, who Navratil certainly has a soft spot for. I think she is going to feature a lot in the books that follow!
There’s a lot of humour in this book, especially the darker variety. We are given an insight in to the communist past of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and it isn’t all nice. Some is quite amusing though: a trade deal with Hungary that involved trading Hi-Fi’s for toasters!!
For all Slonsky’s apparent laziness, he is actually very good at what he does. He has a moral code - he hates to see people get hurt, and a lot of thought goes into this case (even if it is done whilst sat in a bar, beer in hand!).
I’m a big fan of Slonsky. I love his fast wit, and the way that he tries to cover up a razor sharp mind - with a camouflage of pastries, beer and sausage!
I’ll be adding the next Slonsky book to my kindle ASAP!
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this great book.
ClareR (6062 KP) rated Do You Dream of Terra-Two? in Books
Jan 30, 2019
"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet meets The 100" - that'll do me!!
This book seemed to take over my life whilst I was reading it - if I wasn't actually reading, I was thinking about it. Partly the moral ramifications of training 12/13 year olds to travel in space for 20+ years to get to an Earth-like planet that no-one had ever been to before, and partly - how exciting would THAT be!!
The characters fascinated me. There was a lot of character development, and I enjoyed it all. The lead up to getting on the ship was quite long, but I really think it was needed. We could see how controlled these young people were, what such an intense life created in them, and their own reasons for their overwhelming commitment.
The prose is gorgeous though. The descriptions of Earth and Space, the inner lives of the astronauts, all had me aching to be there to be honest. For the record, I did a reading challenge a few years ago, where one of the challenges was 'a book set somewhere you would like to go'. I chose 'The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. Space, and people's imaginings of it, has ALWAYS fascinated me.
And that ending!!! I just love an open ended book. Whether there will be more (I would read a follow up to be honest), is immaterial to me. I loved this book!!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy of this book
The characters fascinated me. There was a lot of character development, and I enjoyed it all. The lead up to getting on the ship was quite long, but I really think it was needed. We could see how controlled these young people were, what such an intense life created in them, and their own reasons for their overwhelming commitment.
The prose is gorgeous though. The descriptions of Earth and Space, the inner lives of the astronauts, all had me aching to be there to be honest. For the record, I did a reading challenge a few years ago, where one of the challenges was 'a book set somewhere you would like to go'. I chose 'The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. Space, and people's imaginings of it, has ALWAYS fascinated me.
And that ending!!! I just love an open ended book. Whether there will be more (I would read a follow up to be honest), is immaterial to me. I loved this book!!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy of this book
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Katie (868 KP) Jul 18, 2018