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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Jul 5, 2020
A Gamble That Pays Off - 8/10
The Umbrella Academy is a 2019 dark comedy sci-fi/drama superhero tv show developed by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater for Netflix. It's an adaptation of the comic book series created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba and published by Dark Horse Comics. The series was produced by Borderline Entertainment, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Cable Productions. Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, and Kate Walsh.
On October 1st, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth although none of them were pregnant that morning. Eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colman Feore) adopts 7 of the children and turns them into a superhero team called, "The Umbrella Academy. The children are given numbers instead of names and even though 6 of them fight crime, 1 of them, Vanya/#7 (Ellen Page) is kept apart for not having any powers. Present day, the estranged siblings reunite when they learn their father has died. At the funeral, #5 (Aidan Gallagher), which has been missing for over a decade, reappears from the future out of a blue portal and reveals to the others, that the world will end in a matter of days.
This show is stellar. It's a ride that you shouldn't miss. It's good to see a comic book series adaptation that is not from Marvel or DC and you can feel that it's a fresh take and different. I think the writers for the show did a good job on making it very three-dimensional. It's rated TV-14 so it's for teenagers and adults but also for comic book fans and sci-fi fans. That being said it does get pretty weird and far out there, so might not be for everybody but it's definitely better than what the critics are saying. Yes it does have some issues; like the dialogue might not be the best, there being some plot holes possibly, and some complaints of other comic book shows or movies having done that before. But it does have plenty of pluses; the soundtrack is phenomenal, the CGI is on par with that of big-budget movies, and the casting is very good. They were able to pull off the whole dysfunctional family vibe very well. I wanted to give it a point higher but I did understand some of the other points that other critics made about it. I give it a 8/10 but I also give it my "Must See" seal of approval. So if you haven't seen it yet what are you waiting for.
On October 1st, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth although none of them were pregnant that morning. Eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colman Feore) adopts 7 of the children and turns them into a superhero team called, "The Umbrella Academy. The children are given numbers instead of names and even though 6 of them fight crime, 1 of them, Vanya/#7 (Ellen Page) is kept apart for not having any powers. Present day, the estranged siblings reunite when they learn their father has died. At the funeral, #5 (Aidan Gallagher), which has been missing for over a decade, reappears from the future out of a blue portal and reveals to the others, that the world will end in a matter of days.
This show is stellar. It's a ride that you shouldn't miss. It's good to see a comic book series adaptation that is not from Marvel or DC and you can feel that it's a fresh take and different. I think the writers for the show did a good job on making it very three-dimensional. It's rated TV-14 so it's for teenagers and adults but also for comic book fans and sci-fi fans. That being said it does get pretty weird and far out there, so might not be for everybody but it's definitely better than what the critics are saying. Yes it does have some issues; like the dialogue might not be the best, there being some plot holes possibly, and some complaints of other comic book shows or movies having done that before. But it does have plenty of pluses; the soundtrack is phenomenal, the CGI is on par with that of big-budget movies, and the casting is very good. They were able to pull off the whole dysfunctional family vibe very well. I wanted to give it a point higher but I did understand some of the other points that other critics made about it. I give it a 8/10 but I also give it my "Must See" seal of approval. So if you haven't seen it yet what are you waiting for.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Belles: The Belles Book 1 in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The protagonist of this novel is Camellia, she is one of few Belles, who has the ability to make people beautiful by altering their bodies, from hair colour to bone structure. Being favourite is the ultimate goal of all Belles. They get recognition and exceptional treatment from the government. When Camellia arrives at the palace, one of her main tasks is to treat royals, and especially, to help princess Sophia, who is an absolute nightmare…
I really enjoyed, how the author picked the characters for this book. She offered a very wide variety to choose from, levelling the balance between positive and negative ones. All the characters have a unique set of characteristics that make this book very diverse and colourful. My favourite character was, of course, Camellia, as a reader I really got to know her personality, her thoughts and wishes, and I think she is a really nice girl, however, she is too weak to be a lead rebel, she needs more fire in her. My least favourite was, of course, Sophia, she is psychotic and an absolute nutter.
The narrative is told from Camellia’s perspective, and I did miss the input from other characters. I think it would’ve been more exciting if there would’ve been Sophia’s thoughts as well. It was a quite slow burner for me, to be honest, the transition between chapters was not very smooth and it did lack pace and adventure. The Belles sometimes felt like plastic surgeons or beauticians, I would’ve liked to see more magic or some unexpected powers. It kind of felt like an introduction to something, because not many things were happening throughout this book. In this novel author is praising women, the country is run by women, and some of the characters are even indulged in lesbian relationships. 🙂
The setting of this novel was absolutely amazing. The author wrote down the surroundings so detailed, that my imagination was working overtime. I would absolutely love to see this book on screen, I think the characters, dresses, atmosphere, all the things and buildings would look amazing in the Netflix series. It sounds so magical and absolutely stunning when you read it. The chapters were pretty short, and the language used was easy to read. I could feel this french breeze from time to time as well, especially with some of the product or food names… The ending was very exciting, and after reading this book, I hope that the second part will bring more adventure and that Camellia will deserve to be the rebel of this series.
So, to conclude, it is an interesting story, filled with very unique characters, and if you like books about beauty and evil princesses, I think you might quite enjoy this read.
I really enjoyed, how the author picked the characters for this book. She offered a very wide variety to choose from, levelling the balance between positive and negative ones. All the characters have a unique set of characteristics that make this book very diverse and colourful. My favourite character was, of course, Camellia, as a reader I really got to know her personality, her thoughts and wishes, and I think she is a really nice girl, however, she is too weak to be a lead rebel, she needs more fire in her. My least favourite was, of course, Sophia, she is psychotic and an absolute nutter.
The narrative is told from Camellia’s perspective, and I did miss the input from other characters. I think it would’ve been more exciting if there would’ve been Sophia’s thoughts as well. It was a quite slow burner for me, to be honest, the transition between chapters was not very smooth and it did lack pace and adventure. The Belles sometimes felt like plastic surgeons or beauticians, I would’ve liked to see more magic or some unexpected powers. It kind of felt like an introduction to something, because not many things were happening throughout this book. In this novel author is praising women, the country is run by women, and some of the characters are even indulged in lesbian relationships. 🙂
The setting of this novel was absolutely amazing. The author wrote down the surroundings so detailed, that my imagination was working overtime. I would absolutely love to see this book on screen, I think the characters, dresses, atmosphere, all the things and buildings would look amazing in the Netflix series. It sounds so magical and absolutely stunning when you read it. The chapters were pretty short, and the language used was easy to read. I could feel this french breeze from time to time as well, especially with some of the product or food names… The ending was very exciting, and after reading this book, I hope that the second part will bring more adventure and that Camellia will deserve to be the rebel of this series.
So, to conclude, it is an interesting story, filled with very unique characters, and if you like books about beauty and evil princesses, I think you might quite enjoy this read.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Other Side of the Street in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This was a first H. Carey’s book which I read, and definitely not the last one. This novel is fifth in Lavender Road series, and I will read rest of them as soon as will be able to.
In the blurb, Carey highlights two characters – Louise and Jen, but they are not the only ones this book is about. There a lot of characters to choose from, and all of them are incredibly appealing, charismatic, and you need all of them, in order to enjoy this story. I absolutely loved how the author included every single of them in this novel, not leaving out any. I couldn’t decide which one I loved the most, they all have their strengths and qualities, which made this book richer, more interesting and relatable. Another thing which I absolutely loved, was multiple perspectives. I really enjoyed reading, how different characters reacted to some of the situations. I loved getting to know every single character, their problems and achievements, I think that’s why this book simply absorbed me. It was like watching a TV series unfold throughout the pages.
It is quite hard for me to describe the narrative of this book. Through different perspectives, there were a lot of life stories unfolded and told, so the narrative always changed, throwing in different characters feelings and thoughts. Which I found truly fascinating. Carey didn’t leave me bored even for a second, she creatively added turns and twists to the stories, which made me turn page after page. I really liked, that author was addressing difficulties which women were facing during that period, and I enjoyed the way Louise was breaking the stereotypes.
The writing style of this book was very pleasant, easy to read and enjoyable. One thing what I found inconvenient for me was ENSA/ RADA/ ATS etc. I grew up abroad, so I have no idea what they mean, and I am too lazy to google it, so I would have liked a little explanation page at the back, however, not knowing it, didn’t ruin my reading experience at all. The chapters of this book are quite long, but it did not drag to me, because there were a lot of things happening in every chapter, so they flew quite quickly. I really liked the way Carey ended this book, it was unexpected, satisfying, and I will be waiting to find out, what will happen next to all the characters. So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this novel, it has well rounded, exciting, fun characters, and the narrative always keeps changing, that left me hooked and interested till the last page. I really hope Netflix or BBC will make a TV series from Lavender Road books in a near future 🙂
In the blurb, Carey highlights two characters – Louise and Jen, but they are not the only ones this book is about. There a lot of characters to choose from, and all of them are incredibly appealing, charismatic, and you need all of them, in order to enjoy this story. I absolutely loved how the author included every single of them in this novel, not leaving out any. I couldn’t decide which one I loved the most, they all have their strengths and qualities, which made this book richer, more interesting and relatable. Another thing which I absolutely loved, was multiple perspectives. I really enjoyed reading, how different characters reacted to some of the situations. I loved getting to know every single character, their problems and achievements, I think that’s why this book simply absorbed me. It was like watching a TV series unfold throughout the pages.
It is quite hard for me to describe the narrative of this book. Through different perspectives, there were a lot of life stories unfolded and told, so the narrative always changed, throwing in different characters feelings and thoughts. Which I found truly fascinating. Carey didn’t leave me bored even for a second, she creatively added turns and twists to the stories, which made me turn page after page. I really liked, that author was addressing difficulties which women were facing during that period, and I enjoyed the way Louise was breaking the stereotypes.
The writing style of this book was very pleasant, easy to read and enjoyable. One thing what I found inconvenient for me was ENSA/ RADA/ ATS etc. I grew up abroad, so I have no idea what they mean, and I am too lazy to google it, so I would have liked a little explanation page at the back, however, not knowing it, didn’t ruin my reading experience at all. The chapters of this book are quite long, but it did not drag to me, because there were a lot of things happening in every chapter, so they flew quite quickly. I really liked the way Carey ended this book, it was unexpected, satisfying, and I will be waiting to find out, what will happen next to all the characters. So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this novel, it has well rounded, exciting, fun characters, and the narrative always keeps changing, that left me hooked and interested till the last page. I really hope Netflix or BBC will make a TV series from Lavender Road books in a near future 🙂
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Emoji Movie (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I decided to ease into August with The Emoji Film. Now, I went on to Rotten Tomatoes after seeing some talk online about it getting a zero rating. Currently it stands at 6% with the critics... what a bunch of party poopers.
Gene lives in Alex's phone in Textopolis, a digital city where all the emojis live and work. When you've honed your emoji skill you can go and work in the cube, and be there for Alex every time he wants to send a message. Gene longs for that day, but there's one slight problem... Gene is a meh, and he's anything but meh. His parents are both experts at meh, and at his first day at work they're rather nervous... not that you could tell from their expressions.
On his first go in his cube he manages to pull the wrong face and sets off a chain of events that lead Smiler to conclude that he's a malfunction who needs to be dealt with. Gene and High Five embark on a journey to the Piracy App to meet someone who can reprogram him to be a better meh. But as they make their way there they cause a few issues on Alex's phone that makes him take the bold decision to take it back to the shop for a factory reset.
Can they reprogram Gene and have everything back to normal before that happens?...
So the critics panned it with a resounding thumbs down emoji, the general public were a little more generous, and left it at around the 50% mark.
Was the film entertaining? Yes. Will it win awards? No. But it does what you expect it to do, it makes you laugh and smile, and it got my toe tapping. I love the idea that my apps are all having a good time when I'm not using them, especially that poor little Stocks app... I mean does anyone ever use that?
There are a lot of recognisable voices in the mix. Patrick Stewart as the Poop emoji, possibly the most amusing of all.
Probably my only criticism of this is that it's not really a kid's film, and it's not really an adult's film. Which makes it a bit difficult to ever recommend to anyone. It's not worth a full price ticket at the cinema, especially as in all likelihood it'll be an adult and a child going together at the very least. I wouldn't even recommend buying it as a DVD when it comes out straight away. At some point though it will be £1 in Poundland, and then it will be worth buying. Or you can of course stream it from somewhere like Netflix or Sky before that point.
Gene lives in Alex's phone in Textopolis, a digital city where all the emojis live and work. When you've honed your emoji skill you can go and work in the cube, and be there for Alex every time he wants to send a message. Gene longs for that day, but there's one slight problem... Gene is a meh, and he's anything but meh. His parents are both experts at meh, and at his first day at work they're rather nervous... not that you could tell from their expressions.
On his first go in his cube he manages to pull the wrong face and sets off a chain of events that lead Smiler to conclude that he's a malfunction who needs to be dealt with. Gene and High Five embark on a journey to the Piracy App to meet someone who can reprogram him to be a better meh. But as they make their way there they cause a few issues on Alex's phone that makes him take the bold decision to take it back to the shop for a factory reset.
Can they reprogram Gene and have everything back to normal before that happens?...
So the critics panned it with a resounding thumbs down emoji, the general public were a little more generous, and left it at around the 50% mark.
Was the film entertaining? Yes. Will it win awards? No. But it does what you expect it to do, it makes you laugh and smile, and it got my toe tapping. I love the idea that my apps are all having a good time when I'm not using them, especially that poor little Stocks app... I mean does anyone ever use that?
There are a lot of recognisable voices in the mix. Patrick Stewart as the Poop emoji, possibly the most amusing of all.
Probably my only criticism of this is that it's not really a kid's film, and it's not really an adult's film. Which makes it a bit difficult to ever recommend to anyone. It's not worth a full price ticket at the cinema, especially as in all likelihood it'll be an adult and a child going together at the very least. I wouldn't even recommend buying it as a DVD when it comes out straight away. At some point though it will be £1 in Poundland, and then it will be worth buying. Or you can of course stream it from somewhere like Netflix or Sky before that point.
Remotie: remote for Samsung TV
Utilities and Entertainment
App
Remotie is an elegant and functional remote control with keyboard and touchpad for your Samsung...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Harder They Fall (2021) in Movies
Nov 13, 2021
Terrific Ending
I am a “bitter-ender”, I will stay until the end of a Sporting Event or a Movie in the hopes that something interesting will happen.
And, in the case of the Netflix Original Film THE HARDER THEY FALL, I was rewarded for my patience.
Based on real-life African-American characters - and with an All-Black Cast - THE HARDER THEY FALL tells the tale of 2 rival gangs in the “Old West” (circa 1880 or so) as they rob, cheat, outsmart and kill each other.
This 2 1/2 hour epic has 2 distinct parts. The first 2 hours is all set up. A film that looks like a pale imitation of a Quentin Tarantino film by Writer/Director Jaymes Samuel (best known as collaborating with Baz Luhrman and Jay Z on the soundtrack for THE GREAT GATSBY). He is clearly influenced by Tarantno and tries to mimic Tarantino’s style - and, like most imitators - falls short mainly because he focused on the style and not the substance of what Tarantino does.
He populates this film with some of the finest Black Actors working today - Idris Elba, DelRoy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stanfield and Zazie Bettz are all underutilized during the first 2 hours of this film and I had myself wondering why they agreed to do this film.
And then came the last 1/2 hour.
The final portion of THE HARDER THEY FALL is about as good a piece of film-making that you will see, with the showdown between the 2 rival gangs really paying off and Majors, Lindo and Elba (especially) finally get their chance to shine - and answers the question as to why these fine performers were in this film. It’s as if Samuels had a great ending in mind and patched together a film (and plot) that would get the characters to that point.
And then there is the case of Regina King - who was acting in a different kind of film all along. She reigns in this film like a true MOVIE STAR, commanding the screen - and your attention - whenever she shows up. She has a wonderful monologue in the underwhelming first 2 hours of this film - that is worthy of Tarantino - and shows why King is undeniably a MOVIE STAR. This monologue alone almost makes the first 2 hours bearable.
You will have a conundrum when contemplating seeing THE HARDER THEY FALL. Will you be willing to sit through 2 hours of a B- film (a “C” film, if it wasn’t for King) to, finally, be rewarded with an A+ ending?
The choice is yours.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And, in the case of the Netflix Original Film THE HARDER THEY FALL, I was rewarded for my patience.
Based on real-life African-American characters - and with an All-Black Cast - THE HARDER THEY FALL tells the tale of 2 rival gangs in the “Old West” (circa 1880 or so) as they rob, cheat, outsmart and kill each other.
This 2 1/2 hour epic has 2 distinct parts. The first 2 hours is all set up. A film that looks like a pale imitation of a Quentin Tarantino film by Writer/Director Jaymes Samuel (best known as collaborating with Baz Luhrman and Jay Z on the soundtrack for THE GREAT GATSBY). He is clearly influenced by Tarantno and tries to mimic Tarantino’s style - and, like most imitators - falls short mainly because he focused on the style and not the substance of what Tarantino does.
He populates this film with some of the finest Black Actors working today - Idris Elba, DelRoy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stanfield and Zazie Bettz are all underutilized during the first 2 hours of this film and I had myself wondering why they agreed to do this film.
And then came the last 1/2 hour.
The final portion of THE HARDER THEY FALL is about as good a piece of film-making that you will see, with the showdown between the 2 rival gangs really paying off and Majors, Lindo and Elba (especially) finally get their chance to shine - and answers the question as to why these fine performers were in this film. It’s as if Samuels had a great ending in mind and patched together a film (and plot) that would get the characters to that point.
And then there is the case of Regina King - who was acting in a different kind of film all along. She reigns in this film like a true MOVIE STAR, commanding the screen - and your attention - whenever she shows up. She has a wonderful monologue in the underwhelming first 2 hours of this film - that is worthy of Tarantino - and shows why King is undeniably a MOVIE STAR. This monologue alone almost makes the first 2 hours bearable.
You will have a conundrum when contemplating seeing THE HARDER THEY FALL. Will you be willing to sit through 2 hours of a B- film (a “C” film, if it wasn’t for King) to, finally, be rewarded with an A+ ending?
The choice is yours.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Adam Project (2022) in Movies
Mar 23, 2022
Family Friendly, fun, action/comedy
Ryan Reynolds is making a nice living, not only is he on the “A” list for such films as DEADPOOL and FREE GUY (a wonderful film that you have to check out if you haven’t seen it), He is also popping up in charming action/comedy films that go straight to Streaming on Netflix. Following the fun romp that was RED NOTICE (with Gal Gadot and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), he is back in the Shawn Levy helmed THE ADAM PROJECT.
And while this film is not doing anything special, nor will it be nominated for any kind of awards, it is a fun, entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Family friendly, THE ADAM PROJECT, stars Reynolds as…you got it…Adam. A time traveling pilot who goes back in time to find his father - the inventor of time travel - and stop him. Along the way, her runs into his younger self, his mother and a very important person from Adam’s past…or rather…future…or…
You get the idea, it’s a time travel movie, so I wouldn’t get too caught up in “the rules” or dig too deeply into the plot.
Reynolds, of course, is charming as pilot Adam, ready with a laser gun and a quip. His quick wit and snappy banter is reminiscent of many, many other roles that Reynolds has played…and that is okay. He is joined by his younger self (dubbed Small Adam) who is played as a young Ryan Reynolds mimic very well by newcomer Walker Scobell. To be honest, Scobell is annoying early on in this film - and that is on purpose - for what is charming in the adult Reynolds is really annoying in a 12 year old.
Jennifer Garner (Mom), Mark Ruffalo (Dad) and Zoe Saldana (mysterious person from Adam’s past…I mean…future) are “professional” in their respective roles, bringing the right amount of whatever their character needs at the moment. Finally, surprisingly, indie film icon Catherine Keener is very good as the “bad buy” in this piece.
All of this is handled deftly by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM). His track record shows that he knows how to do these family friendly, action/comedy/adventure films and he does not disappoint here. He moves things along at a brisk enough pace to keep all interested while throwing in comedy and snappy banter along the way.
All-in-All, a very fun way to spend a couple of hours - certainly a good way to spend a crisp Spring evening whilst waiting for the warmer weather to arrive.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And while this film is not doing anything special, nor will it be nominated for any kind of awards, it is a fun, entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Family friendly, THE ADAM PROJECT, stars Reynolds as…you got it…Adam. A time traveling pilot who goes back in time to find his father - the inventor of time travel - and stop him. Along the way, her runs into his younger self, his mother and a very important person from Adam’s past…or rather…future…or…
You get the idea, it’s a time travel movie, so I wouldn’t get too caught up in “the rules” or dig too deeply into the plot.
Reynolds, of course, is charming as pilot Adam, ready with a laser gun and a quip. His quick wit and snappy banter is reminiscent of many, many other roles that Reynolds has played…and that is okay. He is joined by his younger self (dubbed Small Adam) who is played as a young Ryan Reynolds mimic very well by newcomer Walker Scobell. To be honest, Scobell is annoying early on in this film - and that is on purpose - for what is charming in the adult Reynolds is really annoying in a 12 year old.
Jennifer Garner (Mom), Mark Ruffalo (Dad) and Zoe Saldana (mysterious person from Adam’s past…I mean…future) are “professional” in their respective roles, bringing the right amount of whatever their character needs at the moment. Finally, surprisingly, indie film icon Catherine Keener is very good as the “bad buy” in this piece.
All of this is handled deftly by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM). His track record shows that he knows how to do these family friendly, action/comedy/adventure films and he does not disappoint here. He moves things along at a brisk enough pace to keep all interested while throwing in comedy and snappy banter along the way.
All-in-All, a very fun way to spend a couple of hours - certainly a good way to spend a crisp Spring evening whilst waiting for the warmer weather to arrive.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Justin Patchett (42 KP) rated Roma (2018) in Movies
Mar 3, 2019
Caught in a bad Roma
Contains spoilers, click to show
It’s been a long while since I watched a film deserving of a truly, harshly negative review. I have gotten so close so many times, and I’ll be damned if Netflix hadn’t gotten close to earning that with the fridge-logic that ruined Bird Box. Even Bird Box, though, feels enjoyable in retrospect compared to another Netflix exclusive: Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma.
Since I’m in a clear minority on this film, I feel obligated to preemptively address some common criticisms. If Roma had been produced in English, presented in color and with any score, it couldn’t fix the fact that I simply dislike Roma’s genre. Sure, I’ve liked slice-of-life drama films, and modern period pieces do fine by me. Pretentious Oscar-farming arthouse flicks like this, though, never win my praise.
Roma follows Cleo, a housemaid in Mexico City. Cleo has gotten pregnant and the presumed father, Fermín, leaves her to buy cigarettes before the baby’s even born. Her employer, Sofía, is dealing with a cheating spouse. What follows is two hours of both of these women marginally helping each other with their respective situations. As slice-of-life films do.
Since it's a slice-of-life film, much of the story just basically happens. You'll remember a scene here or there that happened, even if it was ultimately insignificant. In one scene for instance, Cleo goes to confront the baby daddy, who’s at a huge martial arts class. She spectates and proves to be the only one able to perform a certain yoga pose. Which is important because it helped add another few minutes to the film.
Cleo goes into labor not long after this confrontation, but her daughter ends up being stillborn. This all happens in the midst of the Corpus Christi Massacre. What the heck was the Corpus Christi Massacre, you may ask? According to this film, it was a brutal inconvenience on Cleo’s way to the hospital after her water breaks. This actual historical event simply happens and is never addressed for one second more. You know, just like in Titanic where the shipwreck just makes things inconvenient for Rose and Jack.
The last major scene in the film comes when Sofía invites Cleo to come with her family on a trip to the beach, not as staff but to help Cleo cope with the tragedy of losing her child. While they’re there, Sofía leaves the children in Cleo’s care for two freaking minutes, and two of the kids nearly drown. Cleo, though, can’t swim, and so she stands out in the water as the kids rescue each other. And that's about as close as Roma gets to a cohesive plot. Cleo only came with them to help her grieving, which meant she could be there to be powerless while her employer’s kids save each other’s lives. Bad things happen to us, the film teaches, so that good things can coincidentally happen in our proximity.
In fact, coincidence seems to be the running theme, here. Remember the Corpus Christi Massacre? No? What if I call it “the scene where Cleo goes into labor”? Maybe that helps? Fermín briefly held Cleo at gunpoint in the middle of it. Again, mere coincidence. Just like it’s a mere coincidence that she goes into labor the same day as a massacre that killed 120 people. As coincidences do.
Roma isn’t an aggressively bad film. There are a rare few moments within Roma’s 2-hour runtime where you think, “I can see that clip showing up during a Facebook video binge,” but again: These are moments more rare than our current president ordering a rare steak. That rarity has everything to do with the fact that the movie has so few moments, at all. The rest is shots that linger too long from angles that repeat themselves all too often. It’s like Cuarón asked someone, “What does a movie like Juno need to be better?” They responded, “Nothing.” So Cuarón packed Roma with nothing.
Which brings up one of my biggest criticisms of Roma: The cinematography is bland. Cuarón shot practically the entire film on one camera, set a specific distance from the subject, and kept takes running as longer than they should have, padding out a short-film’s worth of content to feature length. It’s bland cinematography that somehow earned an Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Gravity showed us what Cuarón was capable of. Beyond bringing a seemingly authentic view of space to the big screen, Gravity offered variety. Yes, the huge collision scene in Gravity takes on the feel of a one-take scene, but even then, the camera moves with the action. And if your attention moves away from the foreground the shot, you’re able to see other important things going on. With Roma, though, your foreground is your film. Period. And to be sure, you'll be kept at arm's length from that foreground at all times, both metaphorically and cinematically.
There's a number of reasons why Roma wasn't the Best Picture, this year. Gravity proved that Roma is not Cuarón’s best film. Bo Burnham–yes, that Bo Burnham–wrote and directed a better slice-of-life film with Eighth Grade. And Roma might not even be the past year’s best black-and-white film; I dare suggest that Cold War may have been better.
To give it the credit it’s due, Roma’s cast rightly earned nominations for their performances. Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira earned Best Actress nominations for their roles, and for their part, their performances were authentic as can be. It's the least the Academy could do for having them endure Cuarón's lengthy takes.
But now that I've given it credit, I demand my time back for the scene of Fermín going Star Wars Kid meets Full Monty.
Since I’m in a clear minority on this film, I feel obligated to preemptively address some common criticisms. If Roma had been produced in English, presented in color and with any score, it couldn’t fix the fact that I simply dislike Roma’s genre. Sure, I’ve liked slice-of-life drama films, and modern period pieces do fine by me. Pretentious Oscar-farming arthouse flicks like this, though, never win my praise.
Roma follows Cleo, a housemaid in Mexico City. Cleo has gotten pregnant and the presumed father, Fermín, leaves her to buy cigarettes before the baby’s even born. Her employer, Sofía, is dealing with a cheating spouse. What follows is two hours of both of these women marginally helping each other with their respective situations. As slice-of-life films do.
Since it's a slice-of-life film, much of the story just basically happens. You'll remember a scene here or there that happened, even if it was ultimately insignificant. In one scene for instance, Cleo goes to confront the baby daddy, who’s at a huge martial arts class. She spectates and proves to be the only one able to perform a certain yoga pose. Which is important because it helped add another few minutes to the film.
Cleo goes into labor not long after this confrontation, but her daughter ends up being stillborn. This all happens in the midst of the Corpus Christi Massacre. What the heck was the Corpus Christi Massacre, you may ask? According to this film, it was a brutal inconvenience on Cleo’s way to the hospital after her water breaks. This actual historical event simply happens and is never addressed for one second more. You know, just like in Titanic where the shipwreck just makes things inconvenient for Rose and Jack.
The last major scene in the film comes when Sofía invites Cleo to come with her family on a trip to the beach, not as staff but to help Cleo cope with the tragedy of losing her child. While they’re there, Sofía leaves the children in Cleo’s care for two freaking minutes, and two of the kids nearly drown. Cleo, though, can’t swim, and so she stands out in the water as the kids rescue each other. And that's about as close as Roma gets to a cohesive plot. Cleo only came with them to help her grieving, which meant she could be there to be powerless while her employer’s kids save each other’s lives. Bad things happen to us, the film teaches, so that good things can coincidentally happen in our proximity.
In fact, coincidence seems to be the running theme, here. Remember the Corpus Christi Massacre? No? What if I call it “the scene where Cleo goes into labor”? Maybe that helps? Fermín briefly held Cleo at gunpoint in the middle of it. Again, mere coincidence. Just like it’s a mere coincidence that she goes into labor the same day as a massacre that killed 120 people. As coincidences do.
Roma isn’t an aggressively bad film. There are a rare few moments within Roma’s 2-hour runtime where you think, “I can see that clip showing up during a Facebook video binge,” but again: These are moments more rare than our current president ordering a rare steak. That rarity has everything to do with the fact that the movie has so few moments, at all. The rest is shots that linger too long from angles that repeat themselves all too often. It’s like Cuarón asked someone, “What does a movie like Juno need to be better?” They responded, “Nothing.” So Cuarón packed Roma with nothing.
Which brings up one of my biggest criticisms of Roma: The cinematography is bland. Cuarón shot practically the entire film on one camera, set a specific distance from the subject, and kept takes running as longer than they should have, padding out a short-film’s worth of content to feature length. It’s bland cinematography that somehow earned an Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Gravity showed us what Cuarón was capable of. Beyond bringing a seemingly authentic view of space to the big screen, Gravity offered variety. Yes, the huge collision scene in Gravity takes on the feel of a one-take scene, but even then, the camera moves with the action. And if your attention moves away from the foreground the shot, you’re able to see other important things going on. With Roma, though, your foreground is your film. Period. And to be sure, you'll be kept at arm's length from that foreground at all times, both metaphorically and cinematically.
There's a number of reasons why Roma wasn't the Best Picture, this year. Gravity proved that Roma is not Cuarón’s best film. Bo Burnham–yes, that Bo Burnham–wrote and directed a better slice-of-life film with Eighth Grade. And Roma might not even be the past year’s best black-and-white film; I dare suggest that Cold War may have been better.
To give it the credit it’s due, Roma’s cast rightly earned nominations for their performances. Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira earned Best Actress nominations for their roles, and for their part, their performances were authentic as can be. It's the least the Academy could do for having them endure Cuarón's lengthy takes.
But now that I've given it credit, I demand my time back for the scene of Fermín going Star Wars Kid meets Full Monty.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Mindhunter - Season 1 in TV
Oct 24, 2017 (Updated Oct 24, 2017)
Fantastic Performances (3 more)
Brilliant Script
Good Direction
Great Soundtrack
A Method In The Madness?
Mindhunter is a Netflix series set in the late 70's, that follows two FBI detectives as they embark to learn more about serial killers and why they do the things that they do. One of the detectives, Bill Tench, actually coins the phrase, 'serial killer,' at one point and the team do seem to be making progressive steps into understanding a disturbed psyche, even if some of the methods they use along the way are fairly questionable.
The series is produced by David Fincher, who also directs 4 episodes of this first season. If you are a fan of Fincher's other work, then this will be right up your street. It shares a lot of similarities with Se7en, The Social Network, Gone Girl, Panic Room and definitely Zodiac. The two main series stars, Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany are brilliant in their roles. You may recognise McCallany from Fight Club and Groff from Glee, but this show couldn't be a further departure from Glee if it tried, which makes Groff's already electric performance, even better.
McCallany plays Bill Tench, an older FBI agent who has a good few years of experience under his belt. Groff plays Holden Ford, a young maverick, who barges his way towards progress, regardless of who gets caught up in the collateral damage. The two work fantastically together and the chemistry between the two actors is one of the best things about this show. The supporting cast are also solid, with Hannah Gross standing out as Holden's girlfriend, as well as Anna Torv, who plays a doctor of psychology helping the two detectives analyse the data that they collect from interviews held with various serial killers. The serial killers featured throughout the show are also memorable, especially Jerry Brudos and Ed Kemper. Cameron Britton, who plays Kemper, gives a subtly terrifying performance and is exponentially engaging for every minute that he is onscreen.
The performances are helped with a brilliant script. The dialogue is snappy and effective, causing as many existential questions as it does unorthodox observations. Fincher's direction, is of course, fantastic and the other directors who work on this show also do a good job. The soundtrack to the show is sometimes antithetic to what is going on in the storyline, but it is always effective and never distracting. The shot composition and cinematography was also on point in each episode, with some really effective imagery being implemented throughout.
Overall, this is a brilliantly made, psychological drama. The writing is of a very high standard and the performances are excellent all around. If you are a fan of serial killer stories or anything David Fincher has worked on before, this will be for you. The characters are all interesting and deep and although they may do some questionable things, I can't wait to see where this endeavour takes them next.
The series is produced by David Fincher, who also directs 4 episodes of this first season. If you are a fan of Fincher's other work, then this will be right up your street. It shares a lot of similarities with Se7en, The Social Network, Gone Girl, Panic Room and definitely Zodiac. The two main series stars, Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany are brilliant in their roles. You may recognise McCallany from Fight Club and Groff from Glee, but this show couldn't be a further departure from Glee if it tried, which makes Groff's already electric performance, even better.
McCallany plays Bill Tench, an older FBI agent who has a good few years of experience under his belt. Groff plays Holden Ford, a young maverick, who barges his way towards progress, regardless of who gets caught up in the collateral damage. The two work fantastically together and the chemistry between the two actors is one of the best things about this show. The supporting cast are also solid, with Hannah Gross standing out as Holden's girlfriend, as well as Anna Torv, who plays a doctor of psychology helping the two detectives analyse the data that they collect from interviews held with various serial killers. The serial killers featured throughout the show are also memorable, especially Jerry Brudos and Ed Kemper. Cameron Britton, who plays Kemper, gives a subtly terrifying performance and is exponentially engaging for every minute that he is onscreen.
The performances are helped with a brilliant script. The dialogue is snappy and effective, causing as many existential questions as it does unorthodox observations. Fincher's direction, is of course, fantastic and the other directors who work on this show also do a good job. The soundtrack to the show is sometimes antithetic to what is going on in the storyline, but it is always effective and never distracting. The shot composition and cinematography was also on point in each episode, with some really effective imagery being implemented throughout.
Overall, this is a brilliantly made, psychological drama. The writing is of a very high standard and the performances are excellent all around. If you are a fan of serial killer stories or anything David Fincher has worked on before, this will be for you. The characters are all interesting and deep and although they may do some questionable things, I can't wait to see where this endeavour takes them next.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Wheelman (2017) in Movies
Oct 24, 2017 (Updated Oct 24, 2017)
Grillo is great (1 more)
Decent script
One Hell Of A Night
Wheelman is a Netflix movie that unfortunately debuted on the same date as the hotly anticipated Stephen King adaption, 1922. Though Wheelman deserves more than to be overlooked and although I didn't expect much going into it, I came away afterwards pleasantly surprised.
This movie reminds me of a bunch of others. There is some aspects of Phonebooth used here, it was also reminiscent of a Tom Hardy film called Locke that came out a couple of years ago. It is also similar to what Drive was marketed as in the trailers before it's release, (even though Drive ended up being a psychological nior drama.) The movie took a while to convince me; for the first 15 minutes nothing happened that really excited me, but once I got a bit deeper into and more invested in the story that was unfolding, I ended up being sucked into the wild ride that the protagonist was going through. I think that the film's success on that front, relies a great deal on the performance of Frank Grillo, so it's just as well he brought his A-game here. For 99% of the movie, Grillo is onscreen, so there is no hiding from the camera in terms of his performance and he nails every second of it. He really manages to make an insanely dangerous situation feel grounded and relatable. The other actors are mostly featured via their voices on the phone, which again makes their performances difficult to deliver, but they all manage it convincingly. I always knew who each person was in relation to each other and what each character's motives were, which isn't always clear in a movie where most characters are only heard on the phone.
The script is decent, but I feel that a lot of the dialogue was ad-libbed, which again adds a natural, more realistic feel to the events that are unfolding. This was a good move by the director and the direction overall is great. There are some fairly odd creative choices made, but all of them are effective and feel worthwhile. The cinematography and sound mixing are implemented effectively and add to the overall urgent tone that the movie is pursuing.
Overall, this is definitely worth a watch. To me, it is like a callback to a 70's action chase thriller, with a modern twist. There is also an element of film noir present and the intense tone will keep you engaged until the end credits. You do need to stick with the film past the fifteen minute mark though. Although the whole thing is only 82 minutes long in it's entirety, it takes while to really suck you in, but once it does, it is a really fun ride worth taking.
This movie reminds me of a bunch of others. There is some aspects of Phonebooth used here, it was also reminiscent of a Tom Hardy film called Locke that came out a couple of years ago. It is also similar to what Drive was marketed as in the trailers before it's release, (even though Drive ended up being a psychological nior drama.) The movie took a while to convince me; for the first 15 minutes nothing happened that really excited me, but once I got a bit deeper into and more invested in the story that was unfolding, I ended up being sucked into the wild ride that the protagonist was going through. I think that the film's success on that front, relies a great deal on the performance of Frank Grillo, so it's just as well he brought his A-game here. For 99% of the movie, Grillo is onscreen, so there is no hiding from the camera in terms of his performance and he nails every second of it. He really manages to make an insanely dangerous situation feel grounded and relatable. The other actors are mostly featured via their voices on the phone, which again makes their performances difficult to deliver, but they all manage it convincingly. I always knew who each person was in relation to each other and what each character's motives were, which isn't always clear in a movie where most characters are only heard on the phone.
The script is decent, but I feel that a lot of the dialogue was ad-libbed, which again adds a natural, more realistic feel to the events that are unfolding. This was a good move by the director and the direction overall is great. There are some fairly odd creative choices made, but all of them are effective and feel worthwhile. The cinematography and sound mixing are implemented effectively and add to the overall urgent tone that the movie is pursuing.
Overall, this is definitely worth a watch. To me, it is like a callback to a 70's action chase thriller, with a modern twist. There is also an element of film noir present and the intense tone will keep you engaged until the end credits. You do need to stick with the film past the fifteen minute mark though. Although the whole thing is only 82 minutes long in it's entirety, it takes while to really suck you in, but once it does, it is a really fun ride worth taking.