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Awix (3310 KP) rated Game Night (2018) in Movies
Mar 5, 2018 (Updated Mar 22, 2019)
Knowingly absurd black comedy thriller is powered along by engaging performances and some good gags. A group of affluent friends think they're participating in a kind of murder mystery role-playing game; in fact the situation is in deadly earnest.
The script goes into overdrive to sustain this fairly preposterous premise for 100 minutes - it just about manages it but the first half inevitably feels a bit less forced than the conclusion. Still very funny indeed in places; there's a bit of tonal uncertainty - the thriller element is quite dark, with some graphic violence - but not enough to make the film uncomfortable to watch. Bateman and McAdams are particularly good, but lots of good turns here, both comic and straight. I laughed a lot, which is pretty unusual when it comes to me and modern comedies.
The script goes into overdrive to sustain this fairly preposterous premise for 100 minutes - it just about manages it but the first half inevitably feels a bit less forced than the conclusion. Still very funny indeed in places; there's a bit of tonal uncertainty - the thriller element is quite dark, with some graphic violence - but not enough to make the film uncomfortable to watch. Bateman and McAdams are particularly good, but lots of good turns here, both comic and straight. I laughed a lot, which is pretty unusual when it comes to me and modern comedies.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Sleeper (1973) in Movies
Mar 11, 2018 (Updated Mar 11, 2018)
One of the best of Woody Allen's early pure comedies. Allen (basically playing the same character as always) wakes up in 2173 and is recruited by rebels seeking to bring down an oppressive totalitarian regime.
Simply a very funny film; a much more visual comedy than you would expect from Allen - I have seen suggestions that the whole thing is intended as a homage to Benny Hill - but there are the usual one-liners (also a few slightly dodgy stereotype-based jokes). Very much a spoof of late 60s/early 70s SF movies like THX-1138 and 2001; the SF content is surprisingly solid courtesy of uncredited script consultancy from Isaac Asimov (this may well be the first SF movie to deal with the concept of cloning). Worth watching just for the sequence with the banana and the chicken.
Simply a very funny film; a much more visual comedy than you would expect from Allen - I have seen suggestions that the whole thing is intended as a homage to Benny Hill - but there are the usual one-liners (also a few slightly dodgy stereotype-based jokes). Very much a spoof of late 60s/early 70s SF movies like THX-1138 and 2001; the SF content is surprisingly solid courtesy of uncredited script consultancy from Isaac Asimov (this may well be the first SF movie to deal with the concept of cloning). Worth watching just for the sequence with the banana and the chicken.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies
Feb 11, 2018 (Updated Feb 11, 2018)
Where was Aled Jones?!
Misfiring Scandi crime thriller which was part of Michael Fassbender's attempt to appear in as many dud movies as possible in 2017. There's a serial killer on the loose and a brilliant detective with a troubled personal life (gee, where do they think of these new ideas?) gets on the case.
The film's plot is really lacking in focus and it engages in the usual casual misogyny that seems to be perfectly acceptable on-screen; a baffling subplot featuring flashbacks with Val Kilmer is arguably a mistake (then again, this film is not exactly short of mis-steps). The film's pretensions to be a serious drama are not much helped by the extent to which the Magic Wand of Improbable Coincidences has been waved over the script. It is all a bit grim and muddled.
The film's plot is really lacking in focus and it engages in the usual casual misogyny that seems to be perfectly acceptable on-screen; a baffling subplot featuring flashbacks with Val Kilmer is arguably a mistake (then again, this film is not exactly short of mis-steps). The film's pretensions to be a serious drama are not much helped by the extent to which the Magic Wand of Improbable Coincidences has been waved over the script. It is all a bit grim and muddled.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018 (Updated Jun 9, 2018)
Marvel's second Thor movie is a not especially well-judged mixture of somewhat leaden epic fantasy and cutesy, kooky rom-com. Looks spiffy throughout, but it doesn't half drag in places: you can see why they decided to shake things up so thoroughly in the third one.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
Vegas (725 KP) rated The Big Bang Theory in TV
Sep 11, 2018
Sheldon (3 more)
The cast
The script
The Humor
Brilliant
Probably one of the funniest shows of all time, Sheldon and Leonard two nerdy geniuses have their lives turned upside down when they get a new neighbor, beautiful, blond, aspiring actress and waitress at the Cheesecake Factory - Penny...
The socially awkward Sheldon steels the show but would be nothing without a very strong cast around him.
It is quite difficult to pick up if you start part way through, as I did initially, and hated it, but having been persuaded to watch it from the start, getting to know the characters and how they develop over the seasons, I've found there are not many series that come close to the constant high quality and funny scripts over so many seasons as this one does.
The socially awkward Sheldon steels the show but would be nothing without a very strong cast around him.
It is quite difficult to pick up if you start part way through, as I did initially, and hated it, but having been persuaded to watch it from the start, getting to know the characters and how they develop over the seasons, I've found there are not many series that come close to the constant high quality and funny scripts over so many seasons as this one does.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) in Movies
Oct 13, 2018
Duller than it should be
For such for such an interesting true story, this film should really be fascinating and interesting too, but sadly it isn’t. Instead of focusing on the efforts of the husband or of the resistance in general, this film instead chooses to focus on the wife. Whilst she most definitely was involved, to me her role didn’t seem as pivotal as others and this made the film a little dull. It is undoubtedly a harrowing tale, but this didn’t come cross in the film whatsoever. The script wasn’t great and even Jessica Chastain, who I usually quite like, couldn’t make this any better. In fact I think she made it worse... and I know it’s a true story, but all this film did was made me worry about all of the animals that died during the war ?
Watchman (19 KP) rated Beast (2017) in Movies
Jan 9, 2019 (Updated Feb 15, 2019)
Outstanding acting (1 more)
Unpredictable
A chilling fairytale
A girl with a dark past, the black sheep of the family with a perfect sister, a strict, overbearing mother and an ill father, starts a red-blooded affair with a local boy, an enigma with history of run ins with the law.... and now a suspect in the worst of crimes.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
An Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy
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Clear instructions and 148 photos welcome you to the subtle, fascinating world of Japanese...
The Ladybird Book of the Do-Gooder
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WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR COMIC RELIEF 2017, A HILARIOUS, BRAND NEW ADDITION TO THE PHENOMENAL LADYBIRD...